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LOS ANGELES — It wasn’t only the unusually windy evening that gave Southern California a chilly, blustery San Francisco feel on Monday. It also was that uncommon evening when the Los Angeles Dodgers’ shame of riches, and continual require to enhance, unexpectedly bit them.
Alex Wood is a fierce, dogged remaining-hander who was used by the Dodgers for most of the earlier six a long time, producing 76 starts and throwing 4 scoreless innings in the World Series previous autumn. But at 30, and owning been bounced to the bullpen at periods, he made the decision in no cost agency last winter season that it was time to discover an employer who would permanently retain him in the rotation.
So there he was starting off for San Francisco in a pivotal Sport 3 of this division series, matching up head-to-head with Max Scherzer and top the Giants to a 1- acquire that pushed his previous team to the brink of elimination. He threw four and two-thirds scoreless innings, baffling the Dodgers in excess of 83 pitches — 56 strikes — and reinforcing the Giants’ final decision to sign him very last winter season to a a single-yr, $3 million offer.
“He’s so unbelievably aggressive,” Giants Supervisor Gabe Kapler stated. “He often feels like he’s the best alternative to get the next 3 hitters out. I love that about him.”
Almost nothing bothered Wood, such as the solid winds that seemed to have an impact on absolutely everyone else. Scherzer needed 25 pitches to get by way of the initially inning right before getting his groove and holding the Giants to 3 hits, which include one particular Evan Longoria solo property run, over 7 innings.
“The very first inning, the wind was seriously pushing me towards household plate,” Scherzer claimed. “It was definitely potent tonight.”
It was a 96-mile-per-hour fastball up in the zone that the slumping Longoria in some way drove by means of what appeared like gale pressure winds.
“I know I bought each and every bit of it as significantly as how tough I could strike a ball,” said Longoria, who was in a 1 for 35 rut when he stepped to the plate for the pivotal at-bat. “I was not certain it would go out. The disorders were ridiculous. I don’t think I’ve ever stepped out of the box mid-at-bat as considerably as I did tonight.
“A couple of moments I felt like I was heading to get blown in excess of by the wind. A good deal of dust in your eyes.”
“Super weird,” reported Kapler, a Southern California indigenous.
Nevertheless Scherzer adjusted, the Dodgers’ hitters were being under no circumstances able to crack by means of. Both of those Chris Taylor and pinch-hitter Gavin Lux smashed drives to middle field in the ninth-inning, and Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts mentioned he considered each balls, specially Lux’s, had been leaving the park.
As an alternative, they settled into the glove of middle fielder Steven Duggar.
Brandon Crawford, San Francisco’s Gold Glove-successful shortstop, snuffed out the Dodgers’ other finest likelihood, leaping to snag a Mookie Betts line generate with two out and runners on 1st and next in the seventh. That need to have at least tied the game. Rather, Betts clenched his fists and howled in aggravation.
Now, facing elimination in Video game 4 here Tuesday, the Dodgers were being thinking of bringing back again co-ace Walker Buehler, who started out the 4- reduction in Match 1, for what would be the 1st brief-relaxation start out of his vocation. Otherwise, the alternative to start appears to be suitable-hander Tony Gonsolin.
“We’ve acquired to circle up as a team,” Roberts reported. “Everything is on the table.”
