Braves again blow their chance for 3-0 NLCS lead on Dodgers

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luke Jackson threw the pitch he wanted in the exact location he wanted it, and Cody Bellinger still hammered that above-the-letters fastball deep into the frenzied right field stands at Dodger Stadium for a tying three-run homer in Game 3 of the NL Championship Series.

“Sad thing is, I would do the same thing again,” the dismayed Atlanta reliever said.

The Braves realize even the best-laid plans and the best-located pitches can go wrong in the postseason, particularly when you're facing the Los Angeles Dodgers.

They're determined not to allow the shock of the Dodgers' stunning, come-from-behind 6-5 victory Tuesday night to interrupt their quest to knock off the defending World Series champions.

“To feel like this is like a dagger? No,” said Jackson, who gave up four runs on four hits in the eighth after starting the postseason with six consecutive scoreless outings.

“This is just, you know, a speed bump in the road," Jackson added. "And I wish it didn’t happen, and I wish we were up 3-0 going into Game 4 and having a chance to sweep, but I have no doubt at all in our team coming back and (being) stronger tomorrow and ready to recollect and roll.”

For the second straight season, the Braves had a 2-0 NLCS lead on the Dodgers. Once again, the Braves missed their chance to put their big-budget opponents into the deepest of series holes.

And this heartbreaker probably stung the Braves a whole lot more than last year’s 15-3 loss in Game 3.

A blowout is a whole lot easier to shake off than a defeat in which the Braves had a three-run lead with five outs to play, but failed to close out their 106-win opponents.

“We have lost tough games before and bounced back and done really good things,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “So this is just one of them...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Braves-again-blow-their-chance-for-3-0-NLCS-lead-16547155.php