Slade Cecconi pulled in fourth against Reds

Pages delievered the metaphorical knockout punch for Los Angeles, coming through with a two-run single on a full-count fastball from Atlanta veteran reliever Robert Suarez to put the Dodgers ahead and send their star-studded juggernaut back to the NLCS for the third consecutive season. His heroics were set up by two-out walks to Josue De Paula and Kyle Tucker that loaded the bases. Pages has been much maligned for his postseason struggles over the last two years, but he came through with four hits over the final two games of the series to send Atlanta packing.

Harris was one of the few bright spots for the Braves as they once again were unable to come up with a big hit when presented with plenty of opportunities against Los Angeles, going 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position during a brutal series-ending loss. The 25-year-old center fielder gave Atlanta an early lead when he reached on a leadoff single and swiped second base before scampering home on a wild pitch from Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow with two outs in the opening frame. He also doubled to bring the potential tying run to the plate with two outs in the seventh inning.

Muncy went deep for the third time this postseason, supplying a critical insurance run for Los Angeles with a ninth-inning blast to right field off Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias to put them up by three runs. The 36-year-old third baseman is up to 19 career playoff round-trippers dating back to 2018.

Ohtani single-handedly manufactured a run by swiping second base and advancing to third on an errant throw on the play following a leadoff walk in the second inning. It was Los Angeles’ first postseason run that didn’t come on a home run after their first 10 came via the long ball. He clearly doesn’t look like himself, but it wasn’t a huge factor as the Dodgers still managed to dispatch the Braves with relative ease in a four-game gentleman’s sweep.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called upon Díaz in a save situation for the second time this postseason, this time to protect a three-run lead against the bottom of Atlanta’s order with a chance to end the best-of-five series. He punched out pinch-hitter Rowdy Tellez on an impressive 99.1 mph fastball and got Mauricio Dubón to fly out to right field before coaxing a series-ending fly ball from Austin Riley to send Los Angeles back to the NLCS to face either the Brewers or Padres later this week. It’s a massive development for the Dodgers that Díaz looks like his former self again after an abysmal, injury-plagued regular season.

Glasnow uncorked a wild pitch with two outs in the opening frame that allowed Michael Harris II to scamper home with the lone tally against him. He gave up only one hit, but wound up issuing five walks, which led to his exit with two outs in the fifth inning after just 78 pitches (44 strikes). He would’ve been charged with at least one additional run had Matt Olson’s 107.8 mph ground ball not been hit directly at Enrique Hernández following his departure.

Mahle has exceeded even the most wildly optimistic expectations after coming over from the Giants at the trade deadline as he’s now allowed just two runs over 13 1/3 innings across a pair of starts this postseason. The 32-year-old impending free agent completely shut down Los Angeles’ star-studded lineup into the middle innings before being lifted with one out in the seventh inning after throwing 85 pitches (54 strikes). He finished with four strikeouts and allowed just four baserunners. The first run against him came in the second inning when Mauricio Dubón dropped a shallow pop up that allowed Shohei Ohtani to cross the plate. He was charged with an additional run following his departure in the seventh.

No surprise here. Messick has an opportunity to help the Guardians force a winner-take-all Game 5 showdown in Cleveland later this week. The 25-year-old southpaw allowed two runs over 4 1/3 innings during Game 1 of the series. This will be the most important outing of his young career.

Ramírez helped Cleveland stave off elimination at Rate Field with a multi-hit performance after going hitless in six at-bats through the first two games of the best-of-five series. The 34-year-old franchise cornerstone snapped out of his brief postseason funk by scalding a 106.5-mph double off White Sox rookie Noah Schultz in the fifth inning. He swiped second base and crossed the plate thanks to a brilliant slide on a fielder’s choice later in the frame. He extended Cleveland’s lead by supplying a pair of key insurance runs with a triple down the left-field line with two outs in the eighth inning. He also made a phenomenal defensive play at the hot corner to take away a potential bases-loaded hit from Miguel Vargas in the sixth inning. The Guardians need one more victory in Game 4 on Thursday evening to keep their season alive and send it back to Cleveland for a winner-take-all Game 5 on Saturday.

Vargas had the best opportunity to put Chicago back in front, and punch their ticket to an improbable ALCS appearance, when he lined out to Cleveland’s franchise cornerstone José Ramírez with the bases loaded to end the sixth inning. The White Sox still have an opportunity to close out the best-of-five series during a Game 4 showdown at home on Thursday evening.