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They say patience is a virtue. Waiting for the Dodgers offense to come around was excruciating at times, but boy did the flood gates finally open. Cody Bellinger snapped out of his slump with a pair of doubles, and Joc Pederson put the game away with a three-run home run in the ninth inning, giving the Dodgers a 6-2 win over the Astros in Game 4 of the World Series.
The series is now tied, which means we are guaranteed to end the season in Los Angeles.
A walk and a single to open the ninth inning in a tie game against Astros closer Ken Giles set the stage for Bellinger’s second double of the night, giving the Dodgers their first lead of the game.
A sacrifice fly by Austin Barnes added some insurance, but then Pederson lowered the boom against Joe Musgrove with a three-run shot, the third extra-base hit in the last three games for Pederson.
2017 World Series
| Game | Date | Pitchers |
|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Pitchers |
| 1 | Oct 24 | 3-1 LA |
| 2 | Oct 25 | 7-6 Hou (11) |
| 3 | Oct 27 | 5-3 Hou |
| 4 | Oct 28 | 6-2 LA |
| 5 | Oct 29 | Kershaw vs. Keuchel |
| 6 | Oct 31 | Hill vs. Verlander |
| 7* | Nov 1 | TBD vs. TBD |
Alex Wood was pitching his second game in a month, and gave the Dodgers everything they asked for and more. He didn’t allow a hit until two outs in the sixth inning, when George Springer took him out to left field for the first run of the game.
One night after the Dodgers got five outs from their starter, Wood got through 5⅔ innings in his 84 pitches, striking out three and walking two. His night was done after the Springer home run, and he left trailing because the Dodgers had a devil of a time against Charlie Morton.
Chris Taylor led off the game with a single, but the Dodgers didn’t get another hit until the fifth against Morton, who struck out seven and walked nobody. The single in the fifth was by Kike Hernandez and moved Austin Barnes — who was hit by a pitch — to third base, giving the Dodgers an actual run-scoring opportunity with runners on the corners and one out.
Then the contact play reared its head, and when Taylor chopped a ball to third base, Alex Bregman cut down Barnes at home plate, neutering the rally.
The Dodgers finally got to Morton in the sixth inning thanks to Bellinger, who snapped an 0-for-13 skid to open his World Series with a one-out double into the nook next to the Crawford boxes in left field. Bellinger even asked for the ball after the hit:
Cody Bellinger asking for the ball after that double. pic.twitter.com/CsPUIqIVzY
— Ryan Walton (@RyanWaltonSBN) October 29, 2017
Will Harris was brought in to replace Morton and, after an out, Logan Forsythe delivered an RBI single to tie the game.
Brandon Morrow, pitching for the fourth time in five days for the first time all season, retired all four batters he faced to get through the seventh. Tony Watson retired all three in the ninth, then though Kenley Jansen allowed a solo home run to Bregman he retired the side in the ninth to complete the win.
Game 3 particulars
Home run: Joc Pederson (2); George Springer (3), Alex Bregman (4)
WP - Tony Watson (1-0): 3 ups, 3 down
LP - Ken Giles (0-2): 0 IP, 2 hits, 1 run