Thanks to a couple of big swings from William Contreras, the Milwaukee Brewers need just a couple more wins to earn their first National League pennant and end the Los Angeles Dodgers’ championship reign.
asserted
Brewers → need → reign
Contreras hit a tying homer in the fifth and singled home the go-ahead run an inning later as the Brewers defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-4 on Monday in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series.
asserted
Brewers → hit → Series
Dustin May, JoJo Romero, Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby combined to retire the last 15 Dodgers batters in order to give Milwaukee a 2-0 lead over the two-time defending World Series champions in this best-of-seven series, which heads to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Wednesday.
uncertain
which → combine → Wednesday
“They’re going against arguably one of the best teams in baseball ever put togther, and they don’t care,” said Brewers manager Pat Murphy, whose team was swept by Los Angeles in last year’s NLCS.
asserted
team → go → NLCS
“They won’t be denied.
asserted
They → deny → ?
It starts with the dude behind the dish (Contreras).”
asserted
It → start → dish
The Brewers are chasing their first World Series appearance in 1982, when they were in the American League.
asserted
they → chase → League
Los Angeles is trying to become the first NL team to win three straight World Series.
asserted
Angeles → try → Series
The Dodgers last rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win a series in 2020, when they beat the Atlanta Braves in a seven-game NLCS before going on to win the World Series.
asserted
they → rally → Series
“It’s going to be a great series,” said Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, whose error in the sixth inning led to the go-ahead run.
asserted
error → go → run
“They know they’ve got a lot on their hands, too.
asserted
they → know → hands
We’ve just got to go out on Wednesday and play better.”
asserted
We → get → Wednesday
The Dodgers will need more punch from their lineup to have a chance at getting back to the Fall Classic.
asserted
Dodgers → need → Classic
They mustered just three hits Monday and went 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position to drop to 2 for 26 in those situations this postseason.
asserted
They → muster → situations
Los Angeles couldn’t even get a boost from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who entered 8-1 with a 2.14 ERA in 11 career playoff appearances.
asserted
who → get → appearances
Yamamoto lasted just 2 2/3 innings for his shortest postseason start.
asserted
Yamamoto → last → start
“I think everybody’s so used to him being a robot that if he didn’t go eight innings, no hits, whatever, it wasn’t Yamamoto,” Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts said.
asserted
Betts → think → innings
“It shows he’s a human being and it’s playoff baseball.”
asserted
it → show → ?
The Dodgers took the lead on three occasions in the first five innings.
asserted
Dodgers → take → innings
Milwaukee responded each time, the last coming when Contreras tied it with a 436-foot homer to center field off Kris Bubic in the fifth.
asserted
Contreras → respond → fifth
“We just kept going,” said Brewers designated hitter Christian Yelich, who drove in two runs.
asserted
who → keep → runs
“We kept competing.”
asserted
We → keep → ?
That turned the game into a battle of the bullpens, where Milwaukee had the edge.
asserted
Milwaukee → turn → edge
Brewers relievers have allowed one earned run in 28 2/3 postseason innings.
asserted
relievers → allow → innings
Asked what makes Milwaukee’s bullpen so challenging, Freeman offered a simple explanation.
asserted
Freeman → ask → explanation
“They all throw 100 (mph) from different angles,” Freeman said.
asserted
Freeman → throw → angles
The score was tied 4-all when Milwaukee’s David Hamilton was hit by a pitch from Brock Stewart to lead off the sixth.
asserted
Hamilton → tie → sixth
Stewart attempted a pickoff throw that went off Freeman’s glove and into foul territory, advancing Hamilton to second.
asserted
that → attempt → second
After Jackson Chourio grounded out, the right-handed Stewart walked the left-handed-hitting Brice Turang to face the right-handed Contreras, who had homered in his previous plate appearance.
asserted
who → ground → appearance
Contreras singled to left this time to bring home Hamilton with the go-ahead run.
asserted
Contreras → single → run
The three-time All-Star catcher finished 3 for 4 with a walk and three RBIs.
asserted
catcher → finish → walk
“I took it as motivation,” Contreras said through intepreter Daniel de Mondesert.
asserted
Contreras → take → Mondesert
“That was a decision that their manager took, and then I just tried not to get too big or do anything too much.
asserted
I → take → anything
I wanted to put the ball in play.
asserted
I → want → play
I knew it was a big run there.”
asserted
it → know → ?
Turang and Jake Bauers added RBI singles in the eighth to extend Milwaukee’s lead.
asserted
Turang → add → lead
Neither starter lasts long
An anticipated pitchers’ duel between Yamamoto and Logan Henderson didn’t go according to plan.
uncertain
duel → last → plan
In three previous playoff starts following Dodgers losses, Yamamoto had gone 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA.
asserted
Yamamoto → follow → ERA
When he faced the Brewers in last year’s NLCS, he threw the first playoff complete game since Justin Verlander did it in 2017.
asserted
Verlander → face → 2017
This time, Yamamoto couldn’t even make it out of the third inning before leaving with the Dodgers behind 3-2.
asserted
Yamamoto → make → Dodgers
…and 12 more, not listed.
The Aporia
