Smith strikes out five in four innings at AAA

It was encouraging to see Scott rebound with a pair of strikeouts in a shutout frame after a tough outing in the series opener over the weekend where he served up a two-run homer to Ozzie Albies. It didn’t end up costing Los Angeles, but it was an auspicious start to the postseason for one of the club’s key high-leverage arms. He recorded two quick outs before working out a two-out walk to Ronald Acuña Jr. by striking out slugger Matt Olson to escape with the lead intact.

It was fairly stunning to see Dodgers manager Dave Roberts turn to Díaz in a massive spot, asking him to preserve a two-run lead on the road at Trust Park, following an injury-plagued and ineffective regular season. He immediately served up a leadoff double to Ozzie Albies, which brought the potential game-tying run to the plate. He managed to settle down and retire both Michael Harris II and Mauricio Dubón before getting pinch-hitter Mike Yastrzemski to ground out, thanks to a brilliant defensive play by shortstop Mookie Betts. It’s fair to assume that Díaz will continue to receive opportunities to close as the Dodgers continue their postseason run.

Yamamoto has repeatedly found another gear when the postseason demands it, and he authored another masterpiece at Truist Park to put Los Angeles back in the metaphorical driver’s seat in the best-of-five series as they pursue their third consecutive World Series title. It was the first double-digit strikeout performance of his playoff career, and he allowed just five baserunners while needing an economical 98 pitches (62 strikes) to navigate seven impressive frames. The Dodgers grabbed an early lead on homers by Enrique Hernández and Freddie Freeman, while Yamamoto carried a shutout into the fifth inning before Atlanta finally broke through on a bases-loaded groundout by Drake Baldwin. He escaped the jam without further damage by coaxing a harmless ground ball from Ronald Acuña Jr. to extinguish the threat. He’ll presumably be available out of the bullpen for the final two games, should the Dodgers require his heroics.

Sale wriggled out of a first-inning jam by punching out Shohei Ohtani on a nasty slider and piled up six punchouts over three shutout frames to open the contest. He ran into trouble in the fourth when postseason hero Enrique Hernández slugged a two-run shot to left field before former Braves icon Freddie Freeman took him deep to right-center field, an absolutely stunning turn of events for the veteran ace after allowing just 10 homers across 162 2/3 regular-season innings. It was the first time he served up multiple home runs in a postseason outing since his playoff debut back in 2017. He returned to toss a perfect fifth inning before departing after 95 pitches (62 strikes), with Atlanta manager Walt Weiss turning to his bullpen to open the sixth. It’s a virtual lock that Sale will get the ball again at some point, most likely in relief, as the best-of-five series continues.

It doesn’t sound like a massive concern, but back issues can be a complicated matter, especially without additional downtime and significant travel during the postseason. Rojas was lifted during the eighth inning of Game 3 in Atlanta after going 0-for-3 at the dish. He’s presumably day-to-day for the remainder of the series.

Peralta takes over Mason Miller’s vacated roster spot while the elite closer is away from the club on paternity leave. The 35-year-old lefty compiled a respectable 3.61 ERA across 77 1/3 innings of work during the regular season.

It’s a seismic development shortly before San Diego’s must-win Game 3 matchup against the Brewers at Petco Park. Miller will be unavailable for at least Game 3 of the best-of-five series, but could potentially make it back for Game 4 on Wednesday night. The 28-year-old elite closer served up a walk-off hit to Jackson Chourio while attempting to complete a six-out save and was saddled with the loss in Game 2 over the weekend. Miller was unlikely to be available for more than one inning during Game 3 regardless, but his absence puts even more pressure on starter Nick Pivetta and the rest of the Padres bullpen.

Rojas appeared to be in some considerable discomfort after fouling off a pitch during an eighth-inning at-bat. He was 0-for-3 prior to exiting. The 37-year-old veteran has been an indispensable role player for the Dodgers in the postseason for the last couple years. There should be an update on his status following the contest.

Samad Taylor takes over at DH and will hit eighth in his place. Sheets has gone 1-for-2 with a two-run homer in a pair of games this postseason. The Padres are attempting to keep their season alive during Game 3 at Petco Park on Tuesday evening.

Friedl may be the most prominent minor-league free agent on the open market this offseason after passing through waivers unclaimed last month. The 31-year-old hit just .172/.255/.255 with four homers and five steals across 272 plate appearances for Cincinnati this past season, a steep decline from the 18-homer, 27-steal campaign he put together back in 2023. He should still be able to latch on somewhere as a quality fourth outfielder, with a chance to compete for a more significant role in spring training.