MLB

Thompson added that Nola will be followed by lefty Ranger Suárez out of the bullpen. It’ll be an all-hands situation for the Phillies as they attempt to stave off elimination on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium after dropping the first two games of the best-of-five series.

With the victory, Los Angeles takes a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series, which now shifts to Dodger Stadium for Game 3. Smith delivered the key blow in the Dodgers’ four-run seventh inning, lining a two-run single to left-center off Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering with two outs in the frame. The veteran backstop entered as a pinch-hitter in the sixth after Ben Rortvedt started behind the plate, as the Dodgers continue to monitor his workload following an extended absence due to a right hand fracture.

Philadelphia’s ninth-inning rally came up just short as Trea Turner grounded out with the potential tying run at third base to end the contest. Castellanos came through with the biggest hit of the late rally, lining a two-run double down the left-field line against Blake Treinen. Unfortunately, he was thrown out at third base by Max Muncy on ensuing batter Bryson Stott’s sacrifice bunt attempt, which ultimately played a big role in Los Angeles figuring out how to escape the frame.

Sasaki was summoned to attempt to slam the door on the Phillies in the ninth with Los Angeles clinging to a one-run lead after Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia were unable to get the job done. The hard-throwing 23-year-old phenom coaxed a game-ending ground out from Trea Turner to allow the Dodgers to narrowly escape and take a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. He’s been a revelation since returning to the big leagues and appears to be firmly entrenched as the Dodgers’ primary closer for the rest of the postseason.

Sheehan entered to protect a four-run lead after Blake Snell’s six-inning gem and successfully bridged the gap to new closer Roki Sasaki. The 25-year-old starter-turned-postseason reliever steadied himself after allowing back-to-back hits in the eighth, including an RBI single to Trea Turner, striking out Kyle Schwarber and getting Bryce Harper to fly out to avert disaster.

Snell locked horns with Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo in a classic postseason pitcher’s duel that remained scoreless until the seventh, when the Dodgers finally broke through. The 32-year-old southpaw was dominant into the middle innings, allowing only two baserunners and holding Philadelphia hitless until Edmundo Sosa lined a single to shallow right-center in the fifth. He got into trouble in the next frame with consecutive walks to Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber but escaped by striking out Bryce Harper and inducing a harmless ground out from Alec Bohm on his 99th pitch of the night. Snell generated 23 swinging strikes and finished with a near-elite 37 percent CSW. He’s recorded a microscopic 1.38 ERA with an 18/5 K/BB ratio across 13 innings in two starts this postseason.

Luzardo settled in nicely following a rocky opening frame in his Phillies postseason debut, retiring 17 straight batters after issuing a first-inning walk to Teoscar Hernández and keeping Los Angeles’ star-studded lineup scoreless into the middle innings. Things unraveled in the seventh when Hernández led off with a single and Freddie Freeman followed with a double to end his night. The 28-year-old southpaw was ultimately charged with two runs after Orion Kerkering allowed both inherited runners to score. He finished with five strikeouts and only issued one free pass, but was still saddled with a loss in the low-scoring affair.

Wilson added that Naylor’s availability for Games 3 and 4 of the series is unclear. The 28-year-old slugger has returned to Arizona to be with his wife for the birth of their first child and could potentially miss a couple games in the series while on paternity leave. It would be Eugenio Suárez moving over to cover first base with rookie Ben Williamson at the hot corner in his absence. There should be some additional clarity on his status leading into Tuesday’s critical Game 3 matchup in the Motor City.

It’s a massive relief for the Brewers after Chourio suffered a right hamstring injury during Milwaukee’s series-opening rout over the weekend. The 21-year-old outfielder went through pregame drills without any issues and has apparently been cleared to return to game action after an initial MRI came back inconclusive, according to Brewers manager Pat Murphy. Here’s the full lineup set to face Cubs southpaw Shota Imanaga in this one: Chourio (LF), Brice Turang (2B), William Contreras (C), Christian Yelich (DH), Andrew Vaughn (1B), Sal Frelick (RF), Caleb Durbin (3B), Blake Perkins (CF) and Joey Ortiz (SS).

Cubs manager Craig Counsell will shake things up with veteran Justin Turner leading off, while Michael Busch starts on the bench. Lefty opener Aaron Ashby will take the ball for Milwaukee to kick off the contest before Quinn Priester enters in a bulk relief role. Here’s the full lineup: Turner (1B), Nico Hoerner (2B), Kyle Tucker (DH), Seiya Suzuki (RF), Ian Happ (LF), Carson Kelly (C), Pete Crow-Armstring (CF), Dansby Swanson (SS) and Matt Shaw (3B).