![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*rdGvJbHOsipELclWpg1DRw.jpeg)
by Cary Osborne
Giants relief pitcher Dominic Leone played the percentages with the bases loaded and one out in a one-run game in the top of the sixth inning against Dodger batters Cody Bellinger and AJ Pollock.
Bellinger, struggling all season against fastballs, and Pollock, piling up swings and misses against the slider in his first five plate appearances through the National League Division Series, were each delivered their poison on a first pitch.
Each beat the percentages with giant two-run doubles during a four-run Dodger sixth inning. After an offensive letdown in Game 1, the Dodgers turned it around and beat the Giants 9–2 in San Francisco on Saturday in Game 2.
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— @Dodgers
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Dodger starting pitcher Julio Urías spilled his postseason heroism from 2020 into his first game of the 2021 postseason, allowing one run over five innings. He also drove in the Dodgers’ first run with an RBI single in the second inning.
The Dodgers’ at-bat quality flipped from the night before. Against Game 1 starter Logan Webb, the Dodgers swung and missed at 11 pitches out of the strike zone in a 4–0 loss. They did it three times against Giants starter Kevin Gausman.
“That’s the game — sometimes you’re going to get beat,” Bellinger said. “In my situation (today), bases loaded, one out, you try to simplify and get the job done right there.”
“I think we just did a good job of we were up 2–1 and just scratched runs across,” said Pollock, who was 2-for-3 with two runs and a walk. “Those are so important. The whole team up and down the lineup was doing it. It was big.”
Bellinger was hitless in his first five plate appearances in this series with four strikeouts coming into his at-bat against Leone. He batted .165 against fastballs in the regular season. After Leone stepped in for Gausman in the sixth and walked Chris Taylor to load the bases, he fired a first-pitch, belt-high fastball to Bellinger, who pounded it to the wall in left-center field for a two-run double. The Dodgers led 4–1 at the time.
Pollock followed with a double on a first-pitch slider, driving in two more runs for a 6–1 Dodger lead. Pollock was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the series before the at-bat and swung-and-missed on five sliders.
The Dodgers had 11 hits and scored three runs combined in their first two postseason games, including their 3–1 win in Wednesday’s Wild Card Game win against the Cardinals. They had 11 hits and had two innings of at least three runs on Saturday. They walked four times after drawing zero free passes in Game 1.
The Dodgers were 6-for-15 with runners in scoring position.
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Mookie Betts followed Urías’ RBI-single in the second inning with one of his own.
Will Smith homered to lead off the top of the eighth inning beginning a three-run frame. Taylor and Pollock followed with singles. Pinch-hitter Matt Beaty drove in Taylor with a single for an 8–2 lead. Corey Seager singled Pollock in for a 9–2 Dodger advantage.
Taylor, in his first start of the postseason, scored three times and was 2-for-3 with a walk. He doubled in the second inning and scored on Urías’ single.
On the mound, Urías allowed three hits and a walk, striking out five and allowing one run. His biggest challenge was the second inning, allowing the first two batters to reach. Second baseman Donovan Solano drove in a run on a sacrifice fly, cutting the Dodger lead to 2–1 at the time. He then struck Gausman out swinging to end the frame. From Gausman on, he retired 10 of the final 11 batters he faced.
“It’s the fifth, sixth time I’ve seen them (this season), so it’s a little bit more trickier to get through that lineup, but I felt good,” Urías said. “Offensively the team put up some runs. and all in all, it was a good game.”
It was the sixth time Urías faced the Giants this season. It’s the fourth time he completed at least five innings and allowed one run.
Urías has a 1.28 ERA (four earned runs in 28 innings) in his last seven postseason games — including the entire 2020 postseason. Opponents are 14-for-96 (.146) against him.
After Urías exited, the Giants threatened in the sixth and put a run on the board against reliever Joe Kelly. But two outstanding defensive plays prevented San Francisco from getting more.
With runners on first and second and one out, Giants first baseman Wilmer Flores grounded to the shortstop side. Trea Turner sped over from the second-base side to make a diving stab, then he tossed to Corey Seager for the force out at second base.
Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford followed with an RBI single in front of Mookie Betts in right field. Betts played it on a hop, spun, then threw a strike to Justin Turner at third base to get Flores trying to advance to third and end the inning.
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With the series now tied 1–1, the Dodgers turn to Max Scherzer to start Game 3 at Dodger Stadium on Monday.
“It’s interesting how the narrative changes from game to game,” said manager Dave Roberts. “Right now, it’s a three-game series, we have home-field advantage, and we’ve got Max on the mound, so I like where we’re at.”
Different day, new narrative: Offense unleashed in Game 2 win was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.