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Dodgers defeat Arizona, 8-5 to take 2-0 lead in best-of-five NLDS

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Kenley Jansen gets a five-out save and Logan Forsythe has three hits and scores three runs. Game 3 is Monday at 6 p.m. PT in Phoenix, Yu Darvish vs. Zack Greinke

Here you will get pregame and in-game updates from our Times crew of reporters. From Andy McCullough and Pedro Moura, to Bill Plaschke and Dylan Hernandez, we’ll try to have all the bases covered.

Dodgers defeat Arizona 8-5 to take 2-0 lead in NLDS

Ketel Marte popped to short.

Gregor Blanco, batting for Archie Bradley, struck out swinging.

David Peralta grounded to third. Five-out save for Kenley Jansen. Dodgers win 8-5.

Game 3 is Monday in Arizona at 6 p.m. PDT on TBS. Yu Darvish vs. Zack Greinke.

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Dodgers retired in order in eighth

Cody Bellinger struck out looking.

Kenley Jansen struck out looking, which is fine. Don’t want him expending any energy.

Logan Forsythe grounded to second.

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It’s nervous time for Dodgers fans

Steven Toro and Omar Hernandez.
(Mark Potts / Los Angeles Times)

In the bottom of the seventh inning, with the Dodgers’ lead cut to two runs after the Diamondbacks scored three, Omar Hernandez, 25, of East L.A., stood in the right field loge section, sweating bullets.

“I’m nervous right now,” he said. “I’m sweating. It was a rough inning.”

He’s been a baseball fan all his life. And he’s a stressed man, thanks to playoff baseball.

“I know it’s not over until the last out,” he said. “These last few years have been heartbreakers.”

He was at the game with his best buddy since childhood, Steven Toro, 26, of East L.A. Hernandez got his friend into baseball.

It was Toro’s first playoff game. Tonight, he said, the raucous crowd was making a difference in the game and doing their job, screaming and cheering.

“We’re here to distract the other team, to disrupt with our noise,” Toro said. “We’re here to take over the game.”

Toro was tickled by the atmosphere. This is “our community at its finest,” he said.

At the end of the inning, after Logan Forsythe scored a run, Hernandez’s demeanor had changed.

“We’re gonna win the World Series!” he said.

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Dodgers three outs away from winning Game 2

Josh Fields pitching and strikes out J.D. Martinez.

Daniel Descalso doubles to center.

And here comes Kenley Jansen. With a day off tomorrow, Dave Roberts can afford to go to Jansen early tonight.

Chris Iannetta strikes out swinging.

Jake Lamb grounded to third. The Dodgers had the shift on and Lamb hit it to the only guy on the left side of the infield, Justin Turner.

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Rich Hill has a message for you

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Dodgers take 8-5 lead in bottom of the seventh

Archie Bradley now pitching for Arizona, and he immediately gives up a leadoff single to Logan Forsythe in the bottom of the seventh.

Austin Barnes struck out looking.

Yasiel Puig hit a grounder down the third-base line. Jake Lamb made a nice play to stop it but had no play. Runners on first and second, one out.

Andre Ethier walked, loading the bases.

Chris Taylor grounded sharply to short, right between the legs of Ketel Marte. 8-5 Dodgers.

Corey Seager strikes out and Justin Turner popped to third to leave the bases loaded. Dodgers wasted a big opportunity there.

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How many licks does it take to get to the middle of a bat?

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Brandon Drury’s homer pulls Arizona within 7-5

Tony Watson is still on the mound for the Dodgers as the seventh inning begins.

Jake Lamb singles to center, ending a steak of 10 batters in a row retired by the Dodgers.

Ketel Marte singled to left.

Please don’t have Pedro Baez warming up in the bullpen. Please don’t have Pedro Baez warming up in the bullpen.

Whew. Dave Roberts brings in Brandon Morrow and Andre Ethier replaces Curtis Granderson in left. Ethier gets a nice ovation from the crowd.

Brandon Drury hit a pinch-hit three-run homer on the first pitch. 7-5 Dodgers. It’s the first homer Morrow has given up all season.

David Peralta flied to left.

A.J. Pollock struck out swinging.

Paul Goldschmidt flied to center.

See, Morrow just wanted to set up a save situation for Kenley Jansen.

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Yasiel Puig’s bat flip is ready for its closeup

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Dodgers maintain 7-2 lead after six innings

Chris Taylor flied to left.

Corey Seager singled to right.

Justin Turner singled to left, Seager to second.

The Dodgers pull off a double steal as Cody Bellinger strikes out, still searching for that elusive home run.

Curtis Granderson struck out swinging.

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Arizona goes down quietly in top of sixth, Dodgers lead, 7-2

Granderson stays in the game in left field.

J.D. Martinez struck out swinging.

That’s it for Maeda, who looked awesome out there. I’d keep him in the bullpen the rest of the postseason. Tony Watson now pitching.

Daniel Descalso grounded to first.

Chris Iannetta flied to right-center, Puig made a nice running catch.

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Yasiel Puig has enough emotion for everyone

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Logan Forsythe’s single, Austin Barnes’ double, Yasiel Puig’s single gives Dodgers a 7-2 lead

Curtis Granderson high-fives in the dugout after scoring on a 2-run double on a hit by Austin Barnes in the 5th inning.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Justin Turner was hit by a pitch to start the fifth.

Cody Bellinger, still trying to hit a home run every pitch, hit a slow roller to second, forcing Turner.

Jimmie Sherfy will replace Robbie Ray, who gave up four hits and four walks in 4.1 innings.

With the right-handed Sherfy in, that means Curtis Granderson bats for Enrique Hernandez.

Miracle of miracles, Granderson singled to right. Bellinger raced to third and Granderson hustled to second on the throw.

Logan Forsythe singled to left, 4-2 Dodgers.

Austin Barnes doubled, scoring both runners. 6-2 Dodgers.

That’s it for Sherfy as Jorge de la Rosa replaces him. The Diamondbacks may want to consider not using Sherfy again in the playoffs.

Yasiel Puig singled to center, scoring Barnes, who had stolen third.

Puig was caught stealing and Kenta Maeda popped to second to end the inning. The Dodgers look like the team that went 81-24.

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Arizona retired in order in fifth, Dodgers lead 3-2

Despite Kenta Maeda seeming to warm up for two hours, Tony Cingrani comes in to pitch in the fifth.

David Peralta grounded to second. And that’s it for Cingrani, who comes out for Maeda.

A.J. Pollock struck out on three pitches.

Paul Goldschmidt grounded to short. Maeda looks sharp.

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And the crowd goes wild

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Dodgers take 3-2 lead in the fourth

Dodgers second baseman Logan Forsythe scores on a wild pitch by DBacks pitcher Robbie Ray.
Dodgers second baseman Logan Forsythe scores on a wild pitch by DBacks pitcher Robbie Ray.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Enrique Hernandez bounced to second.

Logan Forsythe singled to left, the Dodgers’ first hit of the night.

Austin Barnes signled to right, Forsythe holding at second.

Yasiel Puig singled to center, loading the bases. Forsythe had to hold because it appeared it might be caught.

Kyle Farmer hit for Rich Hill. On a 1-and-2 pitch, Ray threw a wild pitch, allowing Forsythe to score, tying it up, 2-2.

Farmer struck out swinging.

Chris Taylor hit a grounder to the hole at short. Ketel Marte made a nice play but threw a 20-hopper to first. Taylor safe at first, Barnes scores, Puig to third. Dodgers lead, 3-2.

Corey Seager struck out swinging.

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Arizona goes down quietly in top of the fourth

Top of the fourth: Jake Lamb popped to medium right. Logan Forsythe, already playing near there with the shift on, made the catch.

Kenta Maeda is warming up in the bullpen.

Ketel Marte struck out on a nasty curve. Dennis Eckersley, analyzing the game for TBS, is a big fan of Hill.

Robbie Ray struck out looking. First three up, three down inning for Hill.

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Arizona maintains 2-1 lead through three innings

Chris Taylor led off the bottom of the third by walking on four pitches.

Corey Seager struck out looking on a pitch that would have been called a ball if Rich Hill had thrown it.

Justin Turner hit a slow roller to third, advancing Taylor.

After a wild pitch moved Taylor to third, Cody Bellinger struck out swinging on a ball way outside.

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Halloween comes early for these two Dodger fans

Laura Petersen and Mike Sanders
(Mark Potts / Los Angeles Times)

Laura Petersen and her fiancé Mike Sanders are sporting fake orange beards at Dodger Stadium tonight in honor of their favorite Dodger, Justin Turner.

They’re lucky beards, they said. They were sitting in the outfield earlier this season at Petco Park in San Diego, and Turner hit a home run right toward them, they said.

They wore them Friday night, too. Turner got a three-run home run.

“Hello, why do you think he got the home run?” Peterson said, pointing to her beard.

The 53-year-old dental assistant from Redondo Beach has been a fan her whole life. Like many others; she thinks this team is special and is going to go all the way in the Postseason.

“I bleed Dodger Blue, since 1964,” she said. “This is happening. This is it.”

She said she felt like the team behaved as a family, and that’s a good sign.

“It’s a team, a real team,” she said. “Baseball is what it’s all about. ... They’re not a bunch of independent contractor dudes.”

Sanders, a Pennsylvania transplant and former New York Mets fan who moved to California three years ago, agreed.

“This team is the coolest,” he said. He’s now fully a Dodgers fan, and there’s no going back.

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Arizona goes scoreless in top of third, leads 2-1

Rich Hill recoils after forcing Dbacks Chris Iannetta to ground out to end the inning.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

A.J. Pollock led off the third and grounded to Hill, who tagged Pollock running up the line.

Paul Goldschmidt walked, as again plate umpire Phil Cuzzi seems unfamiliar with a normal strike zone.

J.D. Martinez singled to right, Goldschmidt stopping at second. Joe Simpson on TBS said he should have challenged Yasiel Puig’s arm because he has a tendency to throw it away. Joe Simpson doesn’t know what he is talking about.

Daniel Descalso struck out looking. Chris Iannetta grounded to first.

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Dodgers score, but trail Arizona 2-1 after two

Yasiel Puig fielder's choice hit scored Hernandez for first Dodger run.
Yasiel Puig fielder’s choice hit scored Hernandez for first Dodger run.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Enrique Hernandez led off the bottom of the second. He hit a long, long foul ball, then drew a walk.

Ray does not have his best stuff tonight.

Logan Forsythe flied to right.

Austin Barnes walks.

On a 2-0 count, Ray unleashed a wild pitch, moving the runners up a base.

Yasiel Puig grounded to third, scoring Barnes from third. Puig thought he was safe, but he was out.

Rich Hill struck out. But the Dodgers narrowed the gap.

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And, it’s doctor recommended!

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Arizona doesn’t score in top of second, still 2-0 Diamondbacks

Top of the second: Jake Lamb beat out a grounder to first when Hill was slow to cover.

Ketel Marte flied to left. Robbie Ray sacrificed Lamb to second.

David Peralta grounded up the middle, the ball deflecting off of Hill right to Seager, who threw Peralta out at first.

The umpire has a small strike zone tonight, making Hill’s job even tougher.

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Arizona leads Dodgers, 2-0, after one inning

Dodgers Justin Turner grimaces after popping out with a runner on base.
Dodgers Justin Turner grimaces after popping out with a runner on base.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Robbie Ray, who owned the Dodgers this season, striking out 53 in five starts, starts the game for Arizona.

Chris Taylor grounded to short.

Corey Seager, 3 for 21 lifetime against Ray with 11 strikeouts, walked.

Justin Turner popped to the catcher.

Cody Bellinger struck out swinging, again looking to swing for the seats.

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Dodger fan Richard Lomeli has more pins than a bowling alley

Richard Lomeli and some of the pins he designed.
(Mark Potts / Los Angeles Times)

Richard “R-Lo” Lomeli hopes his T-shirt will bring the Dodgers a little luck tonight in Game 2 of their National League Division Series matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The 39-year-old graphic designer from East Los Angeles wore a shirt bearing the image of Jobu, the voodoo doll from the 1989 movie “Major League.” During the Dodgers’ abysmal 1-16 stretch a few weeks ago, someone brought a Jobu statue into the dugout.

But tonight, Lomeli was feeling good before the Dodgers took the field.

“Postseason is what you live for,” he said.

Lomeli wore carried a backpack covered in pins he designed: A Jobu, of course. A freeway sign that said Kershaw 710 because 7:10 pm is when the Dodgers ace usually takes the mound. A michelada. A nacho helmet.

Lomeli grew up a Dodger fan. His dad was an usher for the team for 30 years, dating back to when the Dodgers played at the Coliseum. He was in the stadium when Kirk Gibson hit the game-winning home run in he 1988 World Series.

And he still feels like this year’s team stands out and that Manager Dave Roberts has done a good job getting the team to gel.

“I think this is our year,” he said. “It feels special. The team chemistry is coming together. It’s a family. They’re fighting for each their.”

He thinks the Dodgers will leave Los Angeles this weekend with two wins.

If they lose early in the playoffs? It’ll be a “punch in the gut.”

“But when i bleed Dodger Blue,” he said. “I’ll be ready come Spring Training.”

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Diamondbacks take 2-0 lead after top of first on Paul Goldschmidt’s homer

Paul Goldschmidt round the bases after hitting a two-run homerun off Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill.
Paul Goldschmidt round the bases after hitting a two-run homerun off Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Here we go. Game 2 is underway. Will Rich Hill reverse his pattern of poor play against Arizona this season? Pull up a chair and let’s find out.

David Peralta leads things off and fouls to third.

A.J. Pollock walks on a full-count putch that was actually a strike.

Paul Goldschmidt homered to DEEP left. And just like that, Arizona leads 2-0.

J.D. Martinez flied out to deep center.

Daniel Descalso walked.

Chris Iannetta struck out swinging.

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Flag day

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Torey Lovullo has a Southland connection with Jimmie Sherfy

Jimmie Sherfy
(Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)

Diamondbacks Manager Torey Lovullo is a Southern California guy, born in Santa Monica, raised in the San Fernando Valley where he attended Montclair Prep, and played in college at UCLA.

And he had a very Southern California moment Friday toward the end of Game 1 in the National League division series.

When pinch-hitter Austin Barnes led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a single off left-hander Andrew Chafin, Lovullo went to the mound and called for a different reliever — a 25-year-old right-hander he’s known for a long time.

Jimmie Sherfy came in from the bullpen and Lovullo couldn’t help having a little flashback.

Sherfy and Nick Lovullo, one of the manager’s sons, were teammates at Newbury Park High.

“Here I am handing a ball off to one of my son’s high school teammates that I watched grow up playing baseball,” Lovullo said. “It was a surreal moment for me. I know we made eye contact, and I’ll never forget what that feeling was like.

“It was a proud moment. Almost like a parent is handing the ball off to their own child, and that’s how I view Jimmie.”

Sherfy, who made his major league debut in August, got Chris Taylor on a grounder to first, then served up a triple to Corey Seager and run-scoring single to Justin Turner before striking out Cody Bellinger and getting Yasiel Puig on a fly ball to left.

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Arizona Game 4 starter Patrick Corbin available for relief work in Game 2

Patrick Corbin
(Joe Mahoney / Getty Images)

Arizona is planning to start left-hander Patrick Corbin in a potential fourth game of their National League Division Series against the Dodgers.

But, after long reliever Zack Godley threw 100 pitches out of the bullpen in Friday’s opener, the Diamondbacks have to reserve Corbin in case of another short start in tonight’s Game 2 at Dodger Stadium.

“If Patrick’s needed tonight, we’ll run him down to the bullpen and he’ll throw in the bullpen tonight,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “So, we’re just piecing this thing together.”

Lovullo said that is why he has not yet officially announced Corbin as his fourth starter for this series. Because Zack Greinke and Robbie Ray both pitched in Wednesday’s wild-card game and because Taijuan Walker could handle only one bad inning Friday, Godley was forced into a five-inning outing.

“The wild-card game takes its toll in a few areas,” Lovullo said, “especially your pitching staff.”

Ray starts tonight, Greinke on Monday. If Corbin enters tonight’s game, it’s unclear who would pitch Game 4, scheduled for Tuesday at Chase Field. Walker would appear to be the prime candidate.

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Curtis Granderson’s struggles continue

Curtis Granderson
(Harry How / Getty Images)

The Dodgers playoff debut of Curtis Granderson went much like his first six weeks as a Dodger. He struck out twice on Friday and went hitless in four at-bats.

The performance mirrored his unproductive tenure with the team after arriving midway through August. Granderson batted .161 with a .654 on-base plus slugging percentage as a Dodger, with 33 strikeouts in 112 at-bats.

Despite his lengthy slump, Granderson will remain in the lineup against right-handed pitchers. He sat for Game 2 on Saturday, with left-handed pitcher Robbie Ray starting for Arizona. But Granderson is expected to play on Monday in Game 3 against former Dodger Zack Greinke.

“I don’t have any plans on giving up on him just quite yet,” Manager Dave Roberts said on Saturday afternoon.

The other option to start in left field against right-handed pitchers is veteran Andre Ethier, who batted .235 in September after missing the first five months of the season with a herniated disk. Ethier has played sparingly in the past two seasons, and there are concerns about his ability to handle a heavy workload. Roberts views Ethier as an asset off the bench.

Chase Utley will start at second base on Monday in Arizona, Roberts said. Logan Forsythe started the first two games of the series.

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Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts talks about what they need to do to win Game 2

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They don’t make them like Big D anymore

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Just two guys talking about baseball

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Corey Seager discusses Game 2 (video)

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Corey Seager says his sore right elbow is ‘OK’

Corey Seager
(Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images )

Corey Seager said his sore right elbow is doing “OK”. One game into a postseason he hopes will last four more weeks, he is managing the elbow pain that has hampered him since mid-August and will likely require off-season examination.

“Just figuring out how to rest it, figuring out how to just maintain,” Seager said. “The trainers and strength coaches have been fantastic with helping put a plan together and staying to the plan and maintaining it, basically.”

Seager, the Dodgers’ star second-year shortstop, missed eight starts at the start of September because of the elbow. He and Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts have battled about how much rest the situation required.

Roberts acknowledged that Seager might disagree, but argued the Dodgers did “a great job” balancing Seager’s starts.

“He would play 162 games if he could,” Roberts said.

Seager wound up hitting only .179 in September, by far his worst performance in a month this season. He did record a three-hit night in the Oct. 1 season finale, and then reached base three times in Friday’s National League Division Series opener.

“It was just more of trying to keep him strong through October,” Roberts said. “The communication with Corey was very clear. Maybe not agreeable at all times, but it was clear from our perspective. The way he swung the bat over the last week before the season ended, and obviously yesterday — he swung the bat very well. So I think it was a good thing.

Despite the soreness and the time off, Seager said he desired to alter nothing within his swing.

“That was the thing from the start, to not change mechanics and hurt something else,” Seager said. “Just maintain the pain. Maintain the pain to where it’s okay to go out and play, it’s not an issue and it’s not too much to handle.”

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Meet Robert Sanchez, a 43-year Dodger veteran

Robert E. Sanchez has been working at Dodger Stadium since 1974.
(Mark Potts / Los Angeles Times)

Robert Sanchez’s mom told him to get a job. He was going bowling all the time, and it was costing her some serious dough.

So, the 16-year-old from Lincoln Heights walked to Dodger Stadium and picked up a gig hawking peanuts. That was 43 years ago. He hasn’t left.

“It’s PEANUT TIME, everybody!” the mustachioed vendor’s voice boomed through the stadium’s crowded left-field loge section Friday night, during the Dodgers’ first postseason game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. “Peanut time! Peanut time!”

He tossed a few bags, shouting, “Look alive!” and high-fived fans.

Then, the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw threw a strikeout. Sanchez stopped, in the middle of the aisle, raised a bag of goobers in each hand, and screamed, “Yeeeaaaahhhhhh!

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Dave Roberts has faith in Curtis Granderson

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Watch Rich Hill discuss the playoffs and Game 2

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Here’s the Dodgers’ Game 2 lineup against Arizona

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Can the Dodgers finally beat Robbie Ray? (Video)

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How do you get to Dodger Stadium for Game 2?

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Breaking down the Dodgers’ Game 1 victory

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Rich Hill urges Dodgers to bring the passion

Rich Hill finished the regular season with a 12-8 record and a 3.32 earned-run average. He will start Game 2 in the National League division series.
Rich Hill finished the regular season with a 12-8 record and a 3.32 earned-run average. He will start Game 2 in the National League division series.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Twenty-four hours before Friday’s first pitch of the National League division series, there was a team meeting around the Dodger Stadium pitcher’s mound. All the Dodgers wore official gear, except for Clayton Kershaw, who stood in the back in baggy basketball shorts and a T-shirt.

After manager Dave Roberts spoke, he turned over the floor to left-hander Rich Hill, at 37 the oldest active Dodger. Typical of Hill, he implored his teammates to exert every bit of energy they had within them.

“Go out there and bring that intensity, bring the passion, bring that aggressive attitude,” Hill said he told the Dodgers. “So when you look back years from now, we’re going to not look at it in regret, but look at it as, ‘I did everything that I could to succeed.’

“Again, whether we look back at the end of the day and we can call ourselves world champions or we go home knowing that you did everything that you could as an individual to succeed, that’s really it.”

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Fearlessness was a key for Clayton Kershaw, who wasn’t himself in Game 1

Clayton Kershaw waits for his replacement after giving up back-to-back home runs and being pulled by manager Dave Roberts in the seventh inning of Game 1 against Arizona.
((Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

By themselves, the home runs could be viewed as an aberration. In the context of the last month, they are a clear sign of trouble.

Clayton Kershaw isn’t himself.

Kershaw became the first pitcher in Dodgers history to serve up four home runs in a postseason game, doing so Friday night in the opening game of a National League division series.

“I gave up too many home runs, obviously,” he said.

To be fair, the Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-5. Kershaw did enough to win.

He pitched 6 1/3 innings and departed with a three-run lead. He struck out seven. He threw 100 pitches, the overwhelming majority of them fastballs.

He also walked three batters.

And then there were the home runs. The solo blast by A.J. Pollock in the third inning. Another by J.D. Martinez in the sixth.

And the back-to-back home runs by Ketel Marte and Jeff Mathis in the seventh.

“I didn’t have much left,” Kershaw acknowledged. “Obviously, a frustrating way to end it.”

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Game 1 win felt like old times for Dodgers

Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner celebrates his three-run, first-inning home run with manager Dave Roberts at Dodger Stadium on Friday.
Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner celebrates his three-run, first-inning home run with manager Dave Roberts at Dodger Stadium on Friday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Vin was waving to the crowd again. Newk was whipping one across the plate again.

The ageless Sandy Koufax was in the box seats, the new Sandy Koufax was on the mound, and the once-brilliant Dodgers were those Dodgers again.

Welcome back, summer. Welcome home, hardball.

On an early October night that appropriately felt like a warm July afternoon, the Dodgers began their long-awaited postseason Friday with a raucous, rollicking flashback.

Remember when everyone thought they could be the best team in baseball history? Before everyone thought they were the worst team in baseball history? Well, after a few hours of brilliant hitting, sturdy pitching and serious snake crushing, everyone can feel free to jump back on the belief wagon.

To be more precise, the Dodgers opened the first round of the playoffs by punching the Arizona Diamondbacks right between their wide eyes in a 9-5 victory in front of a full house at Dodger Stadium.

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