After a tough loss in Game 1, the outlook on the Dodgers’ offense looked bleak. They clearly missed their Home Run leader Max Muncy’s bat in the lineup and went down without much of a fight against right-hander Logan Webb. The Dodgers didn’t make any adjustments at the plate, which is uncharacteristic from a group that thrived on that skill throughout last year’s postseason run.
The Dodgers, who have played more postseason games than any other team over the last five seasons, knew they could change the complexion of the National League Division Series with a good performance in Game 2.
That’s exactly what took place on Saturday, as the Dodgers came alive in a big way, flexing their muscles for nine runs on 11 hits en route to a dominant 9-2 win over the Giants at Oracle Park. The best-of-five series is now tied at one game apiece.
In Division Series with the current 2-2-1 format, teams that have split the first two games in their opponent’s home ballpark, before returning home for Game 3, have gone on to win the series 23 of 36 times (64%). This excludes 2020 (DS played at neutral sites).
Dodger starting pitcher Julio Urías spilled his postseason heroism from 2020 into his first game of the 2021 postseason, allowing one run over five innings. He also drove in the Dodgers’ first run with an RBI single in the second inning.
The Dodgers’ at-bat quality flipped from the night before. Against Game 1 starter Logan Webb, the Dodgers swung and missed at 11 pitches out of the strike zone in a 4–0 loss. They did it three times against Giants starter Kevin Gausman.
“That’s the game — sometimes you’re going to get beat,” Bellinger said. “In my situation (today), bases loaded, one out, you try to simplify and get the job done right there.”
“I think we just did a good job of we were up 2–1 and just scratched runs across,” said Pollock, who was 2-for-3 with two runs and a walk. “Those are so important. The whole team up and down the lineup was doing it. It was big.”
, so it’s a little bit more trickier to get through that lineup, but I felt good,” Urías said.){kind=link}