Braves Survive Dodgers Late Rally

Freddie Freeman launched a two-run homer and drove in three runs, and Ozzie Albies went 3-for-4 with a solo homer and a pair of RBI on Tuesday, as the Braves held on for a dramatic 8-7 victory over the Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLCS at Globe Life Field in Arlington. Corey Seager clobbered a three-run homer and Max Muncy walloped a two-run blast to spark a late comeback, but it simply wasn’t enough to overcome a massive early deficit. Trailing by a pair of runs, and facing lights-out stopper Mark Melancon, the Dodgers were down to their final strike before Will Smith reached on a fielding error by Albies and Cody Bellinger followed with an RBI triple to right field. With the tying run just 90 feet away, A.J. Pollock scalded a 101-mph groundball right to third baseman Austin Riley to end the contest. With the narrow victory, Atlanta takes a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series heading into a pivotal Game 3 matchup on Wednesday night. They’ve won seven consecutive postseason games and are only two wins away from their first World Series appearance since 1999. With their season on the brink, the Dodgers will hand the ball to southpaw Julio Urias, while the Braves will counter with right-hander Kyle Wright.

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