Dodgers rebound

Last night, I wrote about Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger‘s struggles through the first three games of the World Series. He went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in Game 3, which ran his hitless streak up to 11 at-bats in the Fall Classic. Bellinger turned his fortune around in Game 4 on Saturday night, helping the Dodgers even the World Series at two games apiece with a 6-1 victory at Minute Maid Park.

It was a pitcher’s duel through-and-through after five innings. Both Astros starter Charlie Morton and Dodgers starter Alex Wood were trading zeroes on the scoreboard. Wood, in fact, held the Astros hitless through five. He lost it with two outs in the sixth when George Springer — facing Wood for a third time — swatted a 394-foot solo home run to left field. That was it for Wood. Brandon Morrow came in and got Alex Bregman to ground out to end the inning. Wood’s final line: 5 2/3 innings, one run, one hit, two walks, three strikeouts, 84 pitches.
The Dodgers exacted revenge on the Astros, fighting back for a run of their own in the top of the seventh. With one out against Morton, Cody Bellinger slashed a double to left field, just to the side of the Crawford Boxes. Will Harris came in to relieve Morton and got Yasiel Puig to line out to right field. Seeing light at the end of the tunnel, Harris fell behind Logan Forsythe 2-0. Forsythe then ripped a 2-1 cutter that caught too much plate into shallow left-center to bring Bellinger home, tying the game at 1-1.

In the top of the ninth, Astros manager A.J. Hinch called on struggling closer Ken Giles to start the ninth. Giles had allowed runs in five of six appearances this postseason, including two to the Dodgers in Game 2. It wasn’t exactly shocking, then, when Giles gave up a leadoff single to Corey Seager then walked Justin Turner. After a visit on the mound from pitching coach Brent Strom, Giles proceded to give up a run-scoring double to Bellinger before giving way to Joe Musgrove. Musgrove struck out Puig, then intentionally walked Forsythe to set up a double play possibility. Austin Barnes lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, plating Charlie Culberson, who pinch-ran for Justin Turner. Joc Pederson decided to break the game wide open in the next at-bat, sending an 0-1, 94 MPH fastball to right field for a three-run home run, boosting the Dodgers’ lead to 6-1. Giles ended up on the hook for three runs without recording an out.

Kenley Jansen entered in the bottom of the ninth, attempting to make up for his blown save in Game 2. He did just that. Brian McCann attempted to beat the shift with a bunt, but Seager made a nice play to record the first out. Jansen then struck out Springer. Bregman swatted a solo home run into the Crawford Boxes to make it 6-2, but it was too little, too late. Jansen got Jose Altuve to fly out to center field to end the game, evening up the series.

The final World Series game in Houston will take place on Sunday night. Game 5 will feature a rematch of the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw and the Astros’ Dallas Keuchel. The two teams will take Monday off to return to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Tuesday and, if necessary, Game 7 on Wednesday.