Los Angeles (AFP) – Milwaukee shortstop Orlando Arcia belted his third home run of this post-season Monday, a two-run shot that lifted the Brewers to a 4-0 victory over the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
The victory gave the Brewers a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series, with games four and five coming up in California on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The winner of the series will take on either the reigning champion Houston Astros or the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.
Arcia, who had just three homers in 119 regular-season games, matched that total in these playoffs when he lofted a fastball from Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler into the right field seats, doubling Milwaukee’s lead to 4-0 in the seventh inning.
It was the second homer in as many games for Arcia, who was demoted in July after struggling at the plate in the first half of the season.
Four runs was plenty of support for Brewers starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin, who threw 5 1/3 shutout innings and has yet to allow a run in the post-season.
Milwaukee seized the initiative in the first inning, when their Most Valuable Player candidate Christian Yelich walked and then scored from first base on Ryan Braun’s double to left field.
The Brewers put their second run on the board in the sixth inning, aided by some shoddy defense from the Dodgers.
Travis Shaw belted a fly to deep center and Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger was late for the catch at the wall and Shaw had a triple.
A Buehler curveball to the next batter, Jesus Aguilar, bounced in front of the plate and got away from catcher Yasmani Grandal and rolled away, allowing Shaw to score.
The Dodgers had some costly offensive mistakes as well.
In the bottom of the fourth the Dodgers were on the wrong end of a review when officials ruled Manny Machado had made unnecessary contact with Arcia when he raised his arms sliding into second base.
Instead of Bellinger beating the throw, he was out as part of a double play and the inning ended one batter later on Yasiel Puig‘s ground out.
The Dodgers, trying to book a return trip to the World Series after falling to the Astros in seven games last season, twice loaded the bases but were unable to score.
That included in the ninth inning, when Brewers reliever Jeremy Jeffress who gave up a leadoff single to Justin Turner, who advanced to third on Manny Machado’s double.
Jeffress induced a fly out from Bellinger, but walked Puig to load the bases. That brought up Grandal, who struck out on three pitches before Jeffress struck out pinch hitter Brian Dozier to end the game.