LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The Los Angeles Dodgers will seek to even the National League Championship Series at one game a piece today in Milwaukee after a late comeback attempt from a five-run deficit fell one run short.
Hyun-Jin Ryu will pitch for the Dodgers, facing fellow left-hander Wade Miley at Miller Park.
Ryu limited the Atlanta Braves to four hits, struck out eight and did not walk a batter in seven shutout innings in a 6-0 victory in Game 1 of a NL Divisional Series Oct. 4, his most recent appearance.
Ryu has made one start against the Brewers, allowing two runs on six hits over 7 1/3 innings, striking out four and walking two in a 9-2 victory May 22, 2013 at Miller Park.
Miley started Milwaukee's 6-0 clinching victory over the Colorado Rockies in their NLDS Sunday, allowing three hits, striking out two and walking one in 4 2/3 innings, receiving a no decision.
Miley was 5-2 with a 2.57 ERA during the regular season, including a 1- 0 record and 0.00 ERA in 13 innings in two starts against the Dodgers.
The Brewers were 12-4 in Miley's starts during the regular season, including seven consecutive victories to finish the season.
Milwaukee enters Saturday's play with a 12-game winning streak. It won the last eight games of the regular season, including a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central Division tiebreaker to have the league's best record, 96-67.
The Brewers then swept Colorado to win an NLDS.
The Dodgers lost Game 1 of the best-of-seven series 6-5 Friday at Miller Park in Clayton Kershaw's shortest postseason start.
Kershaw allowed five runs, four earned, and six hits in three innings and was charged with the loss, dropping his career postseason record to 8-8.
“We gave up too many bases,” Dodger manager Dave Roberts said. “We didn't play clean when he was in the game. The errors affected the game.
“But as far as Clayton, I just think it was poor execution. And I thought the stuff was good, but he just made mistakes in the strike zone and defensively, again, we didn't do him any favors.”
The Dodgers committed four errors, three while Kershaw was in the game, including two by catcher Yasmani Grandal, who also had two passed balls.
In Kershaw's first appearance since what Roberts called one of his “best outings that I've seen,” limiting the Braves to two hits and one other baserunner over eight innings Oct. 5 in a 3-0 victory at Dodger Stadium, Kershaw allowed a leadoff single to Lorenzo Cain, who moved to second on a passed ball by Grandal.
Kershaw then retired the next three hitters to end the inning and strand Cain at second.
Kershaw allowed a two-out single to Manny Pina in the second, but got Orlando Arcia to ground out to end the inning.
Brandon Woodruff, who relieved Milwaukee starter Gio Gonzalez to start the top of the third, homered leading off the bottom of the third.
The third home run hit by a reliever in postseason play “fired everybody up,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.
“The crowd went crazy,” Counsell said. “And our dugout, it certainly changed the energy in our dugout from what you think is going to be kind of a grinded-out game against Clayton. And then when that happens, it gives everybody life.”
Seeing “the ball go out of the ballpark against Clayton” was “a surprise to all of us,” Roberts said.
“The ball, he tried to get away and it was middle-middle and he put a good swing on it,” Roberts said.
The other relievers to homer in postseason play were Rosy Ryan of the New York Giants in Game 3 of the 1924 World Series and Travis Wood of the Chicago Cubs in Game 2 of a National League Division Series in 2016.
Kershaw allowed a single to the next batter, Cain, who moved to second on a walk to Christian Yelich advanced to third one out later on Grandal's second passed ball and scored on Hernan Perez's sacrifice fly.
Milwaukee increased its lead to 5-1 in the fourth. Domingo Santana singled in two runs and scored on Ryan Braun's two-out single.
Jesus Aguilar greeted Dodger reliever Julio Urias with a home run leading off the seventh.
After being held to two singles between Manny Machado's home run leading off the second and the end of the seventh, the Dodgers began their comeback attempt in the eighth.
Machado singled in Joc Pedersen, who reached on a force out, and Chris Taylor, who singled, with two outs. Matt Kemp followed with a single that drove in Max Muncy, who walked.
The Dodgers hopes seem faint after Corey Knebel retired the first two batters he faced in the ninth. However, Pedersen drew a full-count walk and Taylor followed with a triple, when the ball dropped out of Cain's glove, driving in Pedersen.
Knebel struck out Justin Turner to end the game.
Woodruff, the second of seven Brewer pitchers, was credited with the victory, pitching two perfect innings, striking out four.
Knebel received a save, allowing one run, one hit, walking one and striking out two in the ninth.
The Dodgers were out-hit, 11-8.
Home teams are 67-33 when they win Game 1 of a best-of-seven series.
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