Chase Utley, Dodgers Top Nationals 6-5, Force NLDS Game 5

Chase Utley saved the Dodgers from elimination on Tuesday, his tie-breaking RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning giving Los Angeles a dramatic, 6-5 home victory the Washington Nationals.

Chase Utley, Dodgers Top Nationals 6-5, Force NLDS Game 5

The National League Division Series returns to Washington for a decisive Game 5 on Thursday.

“If anyone gives up on this team, they haven’t seen us play a whole lot this year, and it starts with what Clayton [Kershaw] did — [starting on] short rest and leaving it all out there,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “You know, everyone fed off that.”

The winning rally began with two outs when Andrew Toles was struck on the foot by a Blake Treinen slider. Pinch-hitter Andre Ethier, who spent most of the season recovering from a broken leg, singled to advance Toles to second. Utley smacked a single sharply into right field to score Toles with Ethier taking third.

“Obviously it was a big hit for us, but there were a lot of great at-bats today,” said Utley, who was down 1-2 in the count.

After Dodgers relievers Pedro Baez and Luis Avilan let a three-run lead disappear, Joe Blanton retired the four batters he faced to earn the win and Kenley Jansen bounced back from a rough, four-run performance on Monday for his second save of the series.

“Everything that happened yesterday was history,” said Jansen.

Down 5-2 after five innings, the Nationals loaded the bases against Kershaw with two outs in the top of the seventh. After tossing 101 pitches over five frames in a 4-3 Game 1 win, Kershaw was pitching on short rest for the fourth straight postseason. He struck out 11 and was pulled after throwing 110 pitches over 6 2/3 innings, but the typically strong Dodgers bullpen was unable to maintain the lead.

The rally began when Kershaw allowed Danny Espinosa to record his first hit of the series leading off the seventh. With two outs, Espinosa was safe at second on Trea Turner’s infield single, and Bryce Harper fought for an eight-pitch walk to load the bases.

Baez filled in for Kershaw, and hit Jayson Werth with his first pitch. Avilan stepped up to allow a two-run, game-tying single to Danny Murphy that left Kershaw with a no-decision, charged with five earned runs, a misleading final line.

“I felt really good about it until the last four minutes,” Kershaw said of his start. “It’s a weird feeling. But you’ve just got to swallow your pride a little bit and realize we won the game and be excited about it and get ready to go back to D.C.”

The Dodgers chased Nationals starter Joe Ross after scoring four runs in 2 2/3 innings, including a two-run homer by Adrian Gonzalez in the first. Ross gave up a pair of walks and hit Joc Pederson with the bases loaded before being pulled.

Pederson also doubled in a run in the fifth inning off Reynaldo Lopez, the first run Los Angeles scored off the Washington bullpen in the series.

Ross had not tossed more than four innings in any of his three starts since returning from right shoulder inflammation. The right-hander drilled Justin Turner in the back with a 96-mph fastball with two outs in the first inning, and it cost the Nationals when Gonzalez followed with a homer.

In the third, Turner smacked an RBI single to left-center field off Ross to score Kershaw and give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead.

“That was a hard-fought game on both sides,” Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. “You know, that’s why we fought so hard for the home-field advantage. You don’t think it’s going to come into play, but most of the time, it does.”

The Nationals return to D.C. to host Game 5 of the NLDS, where they will turn to right-hander Max Scherzer on an extra day of rest to take the mound for what he called the biggest game of his life. Dodgers lefty Rich Hill, who started Game 2, will return on short rest in Game 5 on Thursday.

LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 11: Chase Utley #26 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a RBI single scoring Andrew Toles #60 in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals during game four of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 11, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Article by Pablo Mena