Dodgers Top Phillies in Game 2 of NLDS, One Win From Advancing

LOS ANGELES (CNS) – The Dodgers Monday moved within one victory of advancing to the National League Championship Series with a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 2 of their NL Division Series in Philadelphia.

The Dodgers combined three singles, a walk and a double by Freddie Freeman in the seventh inning for four runs, then withstood the Phillies’ ninth- inning comeback attempt to take a two-games-to-none lead in the best-of-five series.

In postseason history, teams taking a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five series have gone on to win that series 80 of 90 times, 88.9%, according to Major League Baseball.

Game 3 will be played Wednesday at Dodger Stadium.

Blake Snell shut out the Phillies over the first six innings, limiting them to Edmundo Sosa’s fourth-inning single. Snell struck out nine, the record fourth time he had at least nine strikeouts and no more than two hits allowed in a postseason game, according to the sports analytics website OptaSTATS.

Snell issued back-to-back walks to Trea Turner and Kyle Schwrber to give Philadelphia runners on first and second with one out in the sixth but struck out Bryce Harper and induced Alec Bohm to hit a grounder to third baseman Miguel Rojas who dove to touch third base ahead of the sliding Turner for the inning-ending force out, keeping the game scoreless.

Teoscar Hernández singled leading off the top of the seventh and moved to third on Freeman’s double, prompting Phillies manager Rob Thomson to replace left-handed starter Jesús Luzardo with right-hander Orion Kerkering.

Kerkering struck out the first batter he faced, Tommy Edman, on four pitches. The next batter, Kiké Hernández, hit a slow roller to Turner, the Phillies’ shortstopl, Teoscar Hernández slid under catcher J.T. Realmuto’s attempted tag for the game’s first run.

Max Muncy walked to load the bases. Andy Pages popped out to Harper, the Philadelphia first baseman, for the second out. Will Smith singled in Freeman and Kiké Hernández for the Dodgers’ second and third runs.

Shohei Ohtani hit the second pitch from reliever Matt Strahm for a single, driving in Muncy.