Yasmani Grandal and Justin Turner took Jake Arrieta deep, and Rich Hill delivered six scoreless innings to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-0 home victory over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series.

Dodgers Shut Out Cubs Again, 6-0 And Gain 2-1 NLCS Lead

The Dodgers now lead the NLCS 2-1, and are two wins away from their first World Series appearance since 1988, although Grandal attempted to hold that train of thought.

“You can’t look ahead,” he said. “I mean, these guys won 100-some games. They’ve got the talent, so you can’t think ahead. If you think ahead, that’s when bad things happen.”

With Los Angeles’ starting rotation shorthanded and needing innings from Hill, the former Cubs left-hander struck out six to out-pitch Arrieta. Hill allowed just two hits, a pair of singles to Kris Bryant. 

“It was the biggest game of my career,” said Hill.

The lefty finished the night great despite a strange, 30-pitch second frame that manager Dave Roberts said nearly made him get the bullpen warmed up.

“He’s had some abbreviated starts lately, so I really wanted to have him get an opportunity to work through it,” said Roberts. “And I really didn’t feel comfortable about pulling the plug on him tonight. So I wanted him to kind of work through it, like I said. And fortunately he did.”

Grandal smacked a two-run shot with two out in the fourth, fighting back from 0-2 to hit a 3-2 pitch. The Cuban catcher hit a 93.2-mph fastball and sent it out at 107.8 mph, according to Statcast, scoring Josh Reddick, who had reached on an infield single and stole second and third.

“The 3-2 to Grandal was a good pitch,” Arrieta said. “I was challenging him in that situation, and it was a ball down and he put a good swing on it. … It was a grind. They just outplayed us on both sides tonight.”

Turner, who tied Grandal’s 27 homers in the regular season, chased Arrieta by leading off the sixth frame with a home run that had an exit velocity of 105 mph and put Los Angeles up 4-0. The Dodgers have homered in all eight of their postseason games, matching the second-longest streak in Los Angeles franchise history.

Arrieta gave up four runs on six hits in five-plus innings with six strikeouts, although the loss had more to do with the Cubs’ weak hitting.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon played around with his lineup, dropping Anthony Rizzo from his usual third spot to cleanup and moving Addison Russell, who has often batted fifth, down to seventh. These moves helped neither batter.

Russell, who struck out and lined out before being lifted for a pinch-hitter, is 1 for 24 in the playoffs.

Other Cubs are not performing particularly better. Jason Heyward, who is 2 for 19, was benched for Jorge Soler, who is 0 for 7. Ben Zobrist is 4 for 26.

“We have to have a better approach at the plate as a team,” catcher Miguel Montero said. “I think we’re trying to do too much. We’re all trying to be heroes here.”

Clayton Kershaw and Hill, now lined up to start Games 6 and 7 in Chicago, if needed, began the back-to-back shutouts– the first in club history in the playoffs.

“I think if we look back to Clayton’s game in Chicago, that’s inspiring for all of us to look at,” said Hill. “We can all do better by going out there and putting forth the best effort that we can every time we go out there. And we watch Clayton go out there and put everything out there on the line, and everybody feeds off of that.”

Rookies combined for the Dodgers’ first run in the third inning, the first of Corey Seager’s three singles cashing in a leadoff single by Andrew Toles. 

“Corey’s a huge piece to what we’re trying to get to. He’s had some struggles recently, but every time he gets in the box, I expect something good to happen,” Roberts said. “But today he got some good pitches against a very good pitcher. That two-out hit was huge to get us on the board.”

Game 4 is set for Wednesday at Dodger Stadium. John Lackey will make his second start of the postseason for the Cubs, while 20-year-old Mexican lefty Julio Urias will start for the Dodgers. Urias will thus become the youngest starting pitcher in MLB postseason history.

LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 18: Rich Hill #44 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs in game three of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on October 18, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Vin Scully is now in his final week calling games at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, and after a 67-year career as the MLB team’s announcer, it is more than normal for him to be filled with all types of emotions.

Vin Scully ‘Uncomfortable’ With Attention As 67-Year Career Nears End

Friday is “Vin Scully Appreciation Night” at the stadium, and will call the Dodgers-Colorado Rockies game on “Fan Appreciation” day Sunday afternoon, thus marking the end of the Dodgers’ homestand and his final trip to the Vin Scully Press Box as a Hall of Fame broadcaster.

The 88-year-old legendary announcer said he may need some fans to come to his emotional rescue.

“I think I’ve got them in check, but you never really know,” Scully joked on Monday.

Scully also added, however, that it’s “uncomfortable” and “embarrassing” to have so much attention paid to the end of his broadcasting career.

“I attribute it to one thing and one thing only: God’s grace to allow me to be doing this for 67 years,” Scully said in a conference call with reporters on Monday. “To me, that’s really the story, not really me. I’m just a vessel that was passed hand to hand down through all through those years. I don’t take it to heart as some great compliment. I just realize since I’ve been doing this for 67 years, that’s really why everybody wants to talk about it.

He then continued: “I think I kept it in proper perspective, even thought it is a little embarrassing, to be honest. I’m uncomfortable with it. I never wanted to get out in front of the game. I mean, gee whiz, it’s the Dodgers and Giants tonight. I don’t want people to think, ‘This is Vin’s last whatever.’ I just want them to enjoy the Giants and Dodgers.”

The announcer that although the Dodgers seem ready for a playoff berth, that won’t change his plans to call his last game as L.A. faces the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park on Oct. 2.

“I didn’t want to say goodbye like they do in grand opera,” Scully said. “They say goodbye 25 times in 15 minutes. . . . We will tie the ribbon on the package in San Francisco, and that will be that.”

Scully called all six Dodgers World Series titles, the latter five coming when the franchised moved to Los Angeles before the 1958 season. He said the move from New York was frightening for both himself and then-broadcast partner Jerry Doggett.

Scully’s career went beyond simply calling Dodgers games, nonetheless. Besides broadcasting MLB postseason games nationally for the networks, he also called the Masters and had a stint as an NFL play-by-play voice for CBS.

His final NFL game was the 1981 NFC title game between the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers. Pat Summerall had been tapped to call games along former Oakland Raiders coach John Madden by CBS, a job Scully was also finalist for at the time.

“I remember doing that game known for ‘The Catch’ by Dwight Clark in the end zone,” Scully said. “That game emotionally wore on me and I remember getting on the plane thinking, ‘I hope I didn’t make any mistakes.’ I was done. That was it. That was a great game to call for the final football game of my career. It had served its purpose. It reinvigorated me.”

LOS ANGELES – APRIL 13: Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully gives the call of ‘It’s time for Dodger baseball!’ during pregame ceremonies for the Los Angeles Dodgers home opener against the San Francisco Giants on April 13, 2009 at Dodger Stadiium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)