Uribe late-inning homer sends Dodgers into NLCS

Juan Uribe connected on a tworun home run in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers scored a comefrombehind 43 win over the Atlanta Braves to advance to the National League Championship Series.

After Cuban rookie sensation Yasiel Puig had led off the inning with a double, the Dominican third baseman unsuccessfully tried to sacrifice him over to third base before smacking the homer over the leftfield fence with two strikes.

The Dodgers took an early lead Monday night at Dodger Stadium behind two solo home runs by left fielder Carl Crawford in the first and third innings.

But the Braves rallied to tie the score in the top of the fourth off Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, who had started the game on three days’ rest as Los Angeles looked to close out the series at home.

A throwing error by first baseman Adrian Gonzalez proved costly that inning for the Dodgers and Kershaw, who gave up three hits and no earned runs over six innings.

Atlanta then took the lead in the top of the seventh inning when Jose Constanza hit a single off reliever Ronald Belisario to drive in Elliot Johnson, who got all the way to third base when Puig misplayed his drive into the rightfield corner.

After Uribe’s lategame heroics, Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen struck out the side in the top of the ninth inning to clinch a 31 series victory.

In the NLCS, the Dodgers will take on either the St. Louis Cardinals or Pittsburgh Pirates, who will play the deciding game of their divisional series on Wednesday at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals knotted that series at 22 with a 21 Game 4 win Monday in Pittsburgh.

In American League action, the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Boston Red Sox 54 Monday night at Tropicana Field thanks to a walkoff home run off the bat of Jose Lobaton in the bottom of the ninth inning. Boston leads that bestoffive series 21.

Earlier in the day, the Oakland A’s grabbed a 21 lead over the Detroit Tigers with a 63 road win.