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Dodgers defeat Nationals in Game 4 of NLDS, 6-5

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The Dodgers got some clutch hitting from Andre Ethier and Chase Utley to defeat Washington and force Game 5 of the NLDS, which will be played Thursday at Washington at either 2 p.m. PT (if the Cubs win Tuesday) or 5 p.m. PT (if the Giants win Tuesday).

Dodgers win drama-filled game to force NLDS finale in Washington

Adrian Gonzalez follows through on a two-run home run against the Nationals in the first inning of Game 4.
Adrian Gonzalez follows through on a two-run home run against the Nationals in the first inning of Game 4.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Chase Utley betrayed no emotion as he stood at first base. All around him, a ballpark shook and his fellow Dodgers exulted. His two-out RBI single pulled his team ahead in the eighth inning of a 6-5 victory, a result that tied the National League division series with Washington and ensured Game 5 on Thursday in Washington.

The go-ahead sequence explained the wonder of this Dodgers club, a group marred with flaws and brutalized by injuries, yet possessed with enough depth to overcome both deficiencies.

The man who scored the winning run, Andrew Toles, started the season in Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. The man who extended the rally with his first single of the playoffs, Andre Ethier, is playing on a partially broken leg. And Utley, the man who sent this series to a fifth game, is the second-oldest member of the roster.

As Toles crossed the plate, Manager Dave Roberts raised both fists in the air. He could breathe again. His trust in Clayton Kershaw and the fatigue of his bullpen led to a strategic misfire. A three-run lead vanished in the seventh after Kershaw exited the stage.

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Dodgers have a message for the umps

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Utley comes up big in clutch situation

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Dodgers defeat Nationals, 6-5, to force decisive fifth game in NLDS

TOP OF NINTH: DODGERS 6, NATIONALS 5

Kenley Jansen let in four runs in a non-save situation in Monday’s Game 3, putting a potential Dodgers comeback out of reach and causing Dusty Baker to remark on the oddity of the outing.

“No matter what inning it is, I’ve never seen Jansen get hit like that,” Baker said this morning. “And I’m sure he hasn’t seen himself get hit like that.”

In a save situation in today’s Game 4, Jansen did not get hit like that. He faced Stephen Drew, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper, and he struck out two of them and induced a weak grounder from the last.

The Dodgers won, 6-5. The Dodgers and Nationals will play one last game to decide this series’ victor, Thursday at Nationals Park. It will begin at either 2 p.m. or 5 p.m. PT, depending on tonight’s Game 4 in the Cubs-Giants series. Max Scherzer will start for Washington. Either Julio Urias or Rich Hill will start for the Dodgers.

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Dodgers take 6-5 lead after eight, thanks to Toles, Ethier and Utley

BOTTOM OF EIGHTH: DODGERS 6, NATIONALS 5

The first two Dodgers to bat swung for the fences and did not succeed. Joc Pederson struck out swinging. Yasmani Grandal grounded out to short. Then Andrew Toles took a slider off his foot, and Andre Ethier pinch-hit for Joe Blanton.

The Nationals kept right-hander Blake Treinen in the game, and Ethier poked his second pitch into left field, where shortstop Danny Espinosa would have been if not for the defensive shift.

Up came Chase Utley with the go-ahead run on second base. Treinen remained. In a 1-and-2 count, Utley pounced on a slider at the bottom of the strike zone and dumped it into right field. Toles scored easily and Ethier took third as this stadium shook.

Finally, Washington Manager Dusty Baker brought in relief, in the form of left-hander Sammy Solis. He set down Corey Seager, but, up one run, the Dodgers will counter with closer Kenley Jansen in the top of the ninth to try to send this series back to Washington.

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Puig can’t believe that was called a swing

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Nationals go in order in top of eighth, score still tied 5-5

Joe Blanton remained in the game and struck out Ryan Zimmerman to begin the inning. The crowd at Dodger Stadium began to chant: “Blue, you suck!” at home-plate umpire Tom Hallion.

With Josh Fields and Grant Dayton warming behind him in the Dodgers’ bullpen, Blanton lucked into a lineout from Danny Espinosa, then struck out Pedro Severino to send this ballgame into the bottom of the eighth still tied.

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Dodgers, Nationals remain tied after seven, 5-5

BOTTOM OF SEVENTH: DODGERS 5, NATIONALS 5

Justin Turner led off against left-hander Marc Rzepczynski by bunting for a hit. He failed. Adrian Gonzalez followed by striking out swinging. When Yasiel Puig next pinch-hit for Josh Reddick, Nationals Manager Dusty Baker brought in right-hander Blake Treinen from his bullpen.

Treinen struck out Puig on five pitches, although Puig disputed the call that he went around on a check swing by home-plate umpire Tom Hallion. Manager Dave Roberts rushed out in support of his player. It was unclear if Puig was ejected, but he exited the Dodgers’ dugout. Video replays showed Puig’s swing indeed was not a full offering, but it was too late. The inning was over.

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Kershaw leaves and the lead soon follows

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Nationals tie the score, 5-5, with big seventh inning

TOP OF SEVENTH: DODGERS 5, NATIONALS 5

Danny Espinosa finally got a hit in this series, leading off the seventh inning against Clayton Kershaw. But, as Pedro Baez warmed up in the Dodgers’ bullpen, Pedro Severino struck out swinging and pinch-hitter Chris Heisey flew out to center field.

Then Trea Turner approached. He pounded a ball to shortstop, where Corey Seager gloved it and flipped it to second base, but not in enough time to log an out. So there were two on and two out for Bryce Harper. Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts visited the mound. He had Baez and left-hander Luis Avilan to choose from in his bullpen, but opted for neither. Kershaw remained in the game.

In a 1-and-2 count, he pumped a fastball directly onto the outside corner. Harper let it pass, and it was called a ball. Kershaw fired a curveball close to the bottom of the zone, and it was called a ball, too. Harper fouled off the sixth pitch of the at-bat, and then the seventh.

Kershaw’s eighth pitch missed. His afternoon was over. He received a chorus of praise as he walked off and Roberts called in Baez from the bullpen.

With the bases loaded, Baez’s first pitch nailed Jayson Werth in the shoulder. One run scored. Roberts returned to the mound and removed Baez for left-hander Luis Avilan. Daniel Murphy delivered a two-run, game-tying single on Avilan’s second pitch. Out Avilan went for Joe Blanton, who immediately retired Anthony Rendon.

The Dodgers’ bullpen blew the lead, but this game is tied, 5-5, with at least two innings to play.

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Nationals tie the score, 5-5, thanks to Daniel Murphy

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Kershaw has 10 strikeouts through six

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Dodgers lead Nationals after top of sixth, 5-2

TOP OF SIXTH: DODGERS 5, NATIONALS 2

Jayson Werth led off the crucial inning with a single to left field, but Daniel Murphy and Anthony Rendon quickly lined out to left and center field, tamping any chances of a Nationals rally. Kershaw struck out Ryan Zimmerman swinging to end the half-inning, one pitch after he started his walk off the mound but did not get the called third-strike call he desired.

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Pederson’s double gives Dodgers a 5-2 lead after five

BOTTOM OF FIFTH: DODGERS 5, NATIONALS 2

Justin Turner grounded out on the first pitch of his at-bat against Nationals right-hander Reynaldo Lopez. Adrian Gonzalez grounded out on the ninth pitch of his. And then Josh Reddick reached on an infield single. Joc Pederson followed by launching a near-homer to left field for a run-scoring double. He thought it was a home run and did not begin running until the baseball landed in the left-field corner.

Yasmani Grandal struck out, so Clayton Kershaw will head out for the top of the sixth with a three-run lead. There has been no action in the Dodgers’ bullpen this afternoon.

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Kershaw has nine strikeouts through five innings, Dodgers lead 4-2

TOP OF FIFTH: DODGERS 4, NATIONALS 2

Michael Taylor pinch-hit and struck out swinging. Trea Turner struck out swinging and asked home-plate umpire Tom Hallion if he swung at a strike as he walked away. Bryce Harper grounded out to shortstop, and the Dodgers are another inning closer to forcing a fifth game in this series.

Clayton Kershaw, pitching on short rest, has struck out nine Washington Nationals in five innings. He has walked one man. He has retired eight in a row. His pitch count stands at 75.

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The anatomy of an Adrian Gonzalez homer

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Dodgers still lead Nationals 4-2 after four innings

BOTTOM OF FOURTH: DODGERS 4, NATIONALS 2

Andrew Toles and Clayton Kershaw went up and down in succession against Nationals reliever Oliver Perez, who is likely done after this. Chase Utley walked, but Corey Seager flew out to end the inning.

Kershaw will face a pinch-hitter to begin the top half of the fifth and then his No. 1 tormentor today, Trea Turner.

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Kershaw sets Nationals down in order in fourth

TOP OF FOURTH: DODGERS 4, NATIONALS 2

Clayton Kershaw is again taking advantage of the Nationals’ weak bottom of the order. He got Ryan Zimmerman to pop out, struck out Danny Espinosa, and then struck out Pedro Severino. His pitch count is at 62. The Dodgers’ ace appears to have a few more innings left in him yet.

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Dodgers take 4-2 lead and chase Nationals starter Joe Ross

BOTTOM OF THIRD: DODGERS 4, NATIONALS 2

Batting to begin the inning, Clayton Kershaw flared a two-strike double down the left-field line, and pumped both his fists when he reached second successfully. Chase Utley struck out and Corey Seager popped out, but Justin Turner delivered a deep single that landed in between two Nationals in left-center field. Kershaw scored.

It seemed center fielder Trea Turner could have caught it, but he took a non-direct route to the ball, and Jayson Werth let up before he got close. Adrian Gonzalez waited out a few pitches from Joe Ross to allow Kershaw time to reset in the dugout and then walked. Josh Reddick did the same.

With the bases full of Dodgers, Joc Pederson launched two foul drives that flirted with being homers, then took a 2-and-2 breaking ball off his right knee, forcing in another run and forcing Ross out of the game.

In came left-hander Oliver Perez. He retired Yasmani Grandal, but the Dodgers lead, 4-2, one-third of the way through this game.

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Nationals put a call in to the bullpen

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Dodgers take 4-2 lead in the third

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Daniel Murphy knocks in tying run; Dodgers 2, Nationals 2 after top of third

TOP OF THIRD: DODGERS 2, NATIONALS 2

Trea Turner did the same thing he did in the first inning, notching a leadoff single to left field. Then Clayton Kershaw did what he could not in the first and struck out Bryce Harper.

Up next, Jayson Werth hammered a first-pitch single into right field. Turner took third base. Daniel Murphy shot a sacrifice fly to center, and the Nationals tied the game, 2-2. Anthony Rendon’s strikeout ended the inning.

Kershaw’s pitch count stands at 53.

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Dodgers go down in order but still lead, 2-1, after two innings

BOTTOM OF SECOND: DODGERS 2, NATIONALS 1

The Dodgers went down in order against Joe Ross. Joc Pederson struck out on a foul tip, Yasmani Grandal flew out to left and Andrew Toles tapped a groundout to second base. Just like in Monday’s Game 3, the pace of this game quickened in the second inning.

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Kershaw settles down and retires Nationals in order in top of second

TOP OF SECOND: DODGERS 2, NATIONALS 1

Clayton Kershaw’s second inning of the afternoon went much better than his first. Danny Espinosa struck out looking, Pedro Severino flew out to right field and Joe Ross struck out swinging.

He was facing the bottom third of the Nationals’ order, but he required only nine pitches to get through it, so that’s a success.

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Adrian Gonzalez’s homer gives Dodgers a 2-1 lead after one

BOTTOM OF FIRST: DODGERS 2, NATIONALS 1

Right-hander Joe Ross drew the start for the Nationals. He has not pitched very much since July because of shoulder soreness, but he has been good when healthy, so he here is. He got Chase Utley to ground out, struck out Corey Seager and then drilled Justin Turner atop the left shoulder with a 96-mph sinker.

Adrian Gonzalez next swung awkwardly at an 0-1 sinker, then recovered to smash an up-high fastball into the right-field bleachers for a two-run home run that woke up the Dodger Stadium crowd.

Josh Reddick grounded out to end the inning, but the Dodgers are now ahead, 2-1.

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Dodgers vs. Nationals: Washington take 1-0 lead in the first as Kershaw struggles

TOP OF FIRST: NATIONALS 1, DODGERS 0

Clayton Kershaw took the mound in his fourth consecutive fourth game of the Dodgers’ National League division series. It happens every year, the questions about whether he will make the start and the answer that he will.

Nationals rookie leadoff hitter Trea Turner knocked Kershaw’s first pitch into left field for a single. Kershaw threw over to first before he threw a pitch to Bryce Harper. Turner took off running on Kershaw’s fifth pitch, fouled off by Harper. Harper went on to work a nine-pitch walk.

Up next, with none out, was Jayson Werth. After a conference on the mound with catcher Yasmani Grandal, Kershaw struck out Werth.

Daniel Murphy next poked a ball between first and second base. Chase Utley could not reach it, and Turner tore through third base on his way home for the game’s first run. Anthony Rendon popped out but forced Kershaw to throw eight pitches. Kershaw then set down Ryan Zimmerman on two to conclude the inning.

His pitch count stands at 27. The Nationals lead, 1-0.

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Dodgers vs. Nationals: It’s almost game time

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If you have a spare $6 you can go to today’s Dodgers-Nationals game

Do you wonder what happens when the time a game will start isn’t determined until hours before it is scheduled to start? You get a lot of tickets available on StubHub from people who can’t go at 2 p.m.

As of this writing, there are about 100 tickets to today’s game available on the ticket reselling site StubHub, most of them going for $6.

Today’s game was going to start at 2 p.m. or 5 p.m., depending on what happened with Monday’s Cubs-Giants game. That game didn’t end until after midnight in Los Angeles, so many Dodgers fans didn’t know until this morning that the game would start at 2.

So if you ever wanted to go to a playoff game but couldn’t afford a ticket, now is your chance.

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What do the Dodgers need to do to win Game 4?

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Clayton Kershaw will get the game ball in hopes of preventing another disappointing end to a Dodgers season

(Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)

Clayton Kershaw will pitch on short rest for the Dodgers on Tuesday in Game 4 of their National League division series against Washington. It is an elimination game for the Dodgers, who trail the Nationals, 2-1, in the best-of-five series.

The Nationals will start Joe Ross (7-5, 3.43 ERA) in Game 4.

Kershaw is 1-2 in postseason games on short rest, giving up four earned runs and striking out 23.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner pitched in the Dodgers’ only win of the series, a 4-3 victory in Game 1 on Friday, but he was hardly at his best, throwing 101 pitches — his most since June 26, before he received an epidural for a herniated disk and missed 75 days — in five innings.

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When does Game 4 of the Dodgers-Nationals series start?

Dodger fans definitely won’t want to miss Tuesday’s game against Washington. It could be their last chance to see the team in 2016.

Yep, the Dodgers face elimination after losing Game 3 of their National LeagueDivision Series against the Nationals, 8-3, on Monday.

Game 4 starts at 2 p.m. It will be broadcast on FS1.

If you’re attending the game at Dodger Stadium, the parking lot gates open at 11:05 a.m., and stadium gates open half an hour later.

Starting pitchers have not been announced. Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw has been preparing to start on short rest Tuesday, after earning the team’s only win of the series, 4-3, on Friday.

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Dodgers fans head for the exits as team fails in the clutch

Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal is late with the tag on Trea Turner who scored in the third inning.
Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal is late with the tag on Trea Turner who scored in the third inning.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Shortly after Jayson Werth deposited a ninth-inning offering from Kenley Jansen into the bleachers in left field to increase the Dodgers’ deficit to two runs, fans started streaming up the stadium aisles and heading toward the parking lot.

A two-run double by Ryan Zimmerman later in the inning emptied more than half of Dodger Stadium, including the owners’ box near the home team’s on-deck circle.

The deserters chose to head into rush-hour traffic rather than watch the remainder of the game, but who could blame them?

The Dodgers had virtually no offense in Game 3 of their National League division series against the Washington Nationals. They went into the bottom of the ninth inning trailing by five runs, but it might as well have been 60. They had no life, and their fans had no hope.

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Here’s why the Dodgers should start Clayton Kershaw in Game 4

Clayton Kershaw
(Jeff Gross / Getty Images)

On an endless Monday afternoon with Chavez Ravine bursting at the pavilions with gasps and groans, the Dodgers and their fans tried everything.

Dave Roberts emptied his bullpen and nearly emptied his dugout while extending the game to more than four hours of sweaty madness.

Their fans hustled out of work to exhaust their lungs chanting for Corey Seager and growling for Yasiel Puig and booing just about everybody else.

Seemingly every bit of playoff energy and strategy was poured onto the sun-baked field and the Dodgers still weren’t good enough to survive, losing, 8-3, to the tough and savvy Washington Nationals to fall behind two games to one in a best-of-five National League division series.

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