Oct 9, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate the victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks following game three of the 2017 NLDS playoff baseball series at Chase Field. Photo Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
PHOENIX — Rookie Cody Bellinger homered and drove in two runs, Yu Darvish pitched five strong innings, and the Los Angeles Dodgers swept their way into the National League Championship Series with a 3-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 3 of the NL Division Series on Monday at Chase Field.
Bellinger and Austin Barnes homered off Zack Greinke.
Darvish gave up one run and struck out seven in five-plus innings to send the Dodgers to the NLCS against the winner of the Chicago Cubs-Washington Nationals series. The Cubs beat the Dodgers in six games in the NLCS last year.
Bellinger, the likely NL Rookie of the Year, had 39 regular-season homers but was 1-for-12 in the NLDS before his opposite-field homer made it 2-0 in the fifth inning.
Barnes’ homer gave Darvish a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning, and the Dodgers used four relievers to hold on.
Kenley Jansen pitched around a one-out single to David Peralta in the ninth inning for his second save of the series.
Daniel Descalso broke Darvish’s shutout with a two-out homer in the fifth inning, and Darvish was removed after hitting Christian Walker in the helmet leading off the sixth. Darvish gave up two hits and no walks.
The Diamondbacks had three hits and four baserunners in all.
The Dodgers, who won the NL West thanks to a major-league-leading 104 victories in the regular season, will host the first two games of the best-of-seven NLCS on Saturday and Sunday.
Greinke gave up four hits and three runs, leaving after Barnes’ leadoff homer in the sixth. He struck out four and walked five. Greinke threw 29 pitches in the first inning and finished with 105. He got three swinging strikes.
Los Angeles’ Chris Taylor doubled to lead off the first inning before Corey Seager walked. Taylor went to third on Justin Turner’s flyout and scored on Bellinger’s slow grounder to first for a 1-0 lead.
The Dodgers loaded the bases with two outs in the third inning. Seager walked and Turner singled with one out, and Yasiel Puig walked with two outs, but Greinke got Barnes to ground to end the inning.
Greinke walked five in the first three innings, his season high. He had not walked more than five in a game since walking seven against the Colorado Rockies on July 3, 2013.
NOTES: Arizona RHP Zack Greinke made six starts for the Dodgers in the 2013-15 playoffs, and all were quality starts. He gave up as many as three runs only once. … The Diamondbacks have not won a playoff series in two tries since 2007, when they beat the Cubs in the NLDS before losing to Colorado in the NLCS. They lost to Milwaukee in 2011 NLDS. … Arizona PH Chris Walker appeared to be hit in the left hand on a 2-1 pitch in the fifth inning, but the play was ruled a foul ball and upheld on review. He was hit on the bill of the helmet two pitches later. … Dodgers RHP Yu Darvish gave up one run in 19 1/3 innings in his last three regular-season starts, two on the road.
