Dodgers beat Giants 7-2, force decisive Game 5 in NLDS

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Facing a second elimination game in less than a week, the Los Angeles Dodgers kept the same calm and cool approach.

It was their 52,935 fans who went bonkers, celebrating a 7-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night to force a decisive Game 5 in their NL Division Series.

Mookie Betts homered and drove in three runs, and Will Smith also went deep to keep the season alive for the defending World Series champions. The Dodgers beat St. Louis in the NL wild-card game last Wednesday.

“Everybody was kind of chill, relaxed and wanted to play,” Betts said. “It’s not like we’re all of a sudden going to start hitting it harder or throwing it further or throwing it faster or whatever. It’s the same game we have been playing. It’s just a win-or-go-home situation.”

Next, the 106-win Dodgers head back to San Francisco to play the 107-win Giants one more time Thursday night, with the winner advancing to face Atlanta in the NL Championship Series. The Braves eliminated Milwaukee earlier Tuesday.

“They know us, we know them really well," Smith said. "It’s going to come down to who wants it a little more.”

San Francisco won the NL West by one game over the Dodgers in an historic race that went down to the final day of the regular season. Now, these storied rivals are set for a winner-take-all showdown.

“This is what baseball wants,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “We're going to be the only show in town. If you have a pulse or you're a sports fan, you better be watching Dodgers-Giants.”

The Dodgers managed just five hits during a 1-0 loss in Game 3 — the second time they were shut out in this series — to reach the brink of elimination. Los Angeles had that many by the second inning Tuesday and pounded out 12 in all to back a brief but effective...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Dodgers-beat-Giants-7-2-force-decisive-Game-5-in-16528806.php