Sean M. Haffey/Getty ImagesThe Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Atlanta Braves 3-0 at Dodger Stadium on Friday night to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the National League Division Series.Clayton Kershaw was masterful on the mound James Paxton Jersey , allowing just two hits across eight innings. Kershaw threw only 85 pitchesas the Braves' bats were silenced for a second straight game.The Dodgers, meanwhile, had their offense buoyed by a two-run home run from Manny Machado in the first inning and a solo jack off the bat of Yasmani Grandal in the fifth.MLB MLBMANNYWOOD. FngdCtFV7OKershaw Continues to Exorcise Playoff Demons with Dominant Game 2Fair or not, Kershaw has been dogged for years by a narrative that he isn't reliable in the postseason.And sure, there have been ugly moments along the way that leant credence to chatter about his shaky second-season demeanor.But if recent history has been any indication, it's hard to view Kershaw as some kind of playoff liability.Jon Weisman jonweismanI made a chart of all of Clayton Kershaws #Dodgers playoff starts, to show that yes, hes been terrible at times -- but hes also been great. mvNCAtTEU1 t2d6TiH9IcOne year after the southpaw went 3-0 with a 3.82 ERA across six postseason appearances (five starts), he picked up where he left off and made light work of Atlanta's lineup with a brilliant and efficient effort in Game 2.MLB Network MLBNetwork.ClaytonKersh22 was in command tonight. #MLBTonight breaks down the Dodgers Game Two victory, right now! #LADetermined #Postseason 4FP6mXBzuSAnd no, it wasn't a start dominated by overpowering stuff.That isn't Kershaw's M.O. anymore now that his fastball is barely eclipsing 90 mph on average, perFanGraphs.However, the three-time Cy Young Award winner was brilliant in other ways and induced weak contact all night long to frustrate a Braves lineup that ranked fourth among all clubs in hits."I don't care how you get the outs," Kershaw told ESPN.com'sAlden Gonzalezin September. "It doesn't matter to me how bad it looks, how good it looks, how many strikeouts you have. None of that stuff matters as long as you get the outs."The result of that mindset? Thelongestpostseason outing of Kershaw's career and, more importantly http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-marcell-ozuna-jersey , a reminder that L.A. has the National League's most dangerous rotation.Braves' Lineup Showing Youth with Impatience at PlateThe Braves didn't record a single extra-base hit in Thursday night's Game 1 loss, and the results weren't much prettier Friday.Although Ronald Acuna Jr. led off the game with a double, that was the only real damage any Braves batter did against Kershaw.In fact, Kershaw retired 14 straight batters after Acuna's double before Ender Inciarte reached on an infield single with two outs in the top of the fifth inning.Compounding matters was that Atlanta simply didn't make L.A.'s ace work. While the Braves ranked a respectable 12th in weighted on-base average (.319) during the regular season, perFanGraphs, they were consumed by impatience and made life easy for the Dodgers as they hacked away at pitches early in the count and allowed Kershaw to produce quick outs.Bill Plunkett billplunkettocr#Braves are swinging like theyve got a plane to catch. Kershaw has faced 17 batters. Every one of them has swung at the first or second pitch. 5 swung at the 1st pitch, 12 were patient and waited for the 2nd. Result -- #Dodgers Kershaw is thru 5 scoreless IP on 55 pitches.Andy McCullough McCulloughTimesThe scouting report on Clayton Kershaw involves hunting fastballs and sliders up in the zone, early in the count, and looking to elevate. The Braves are just whacking everything into the ground. Six scoreless for Kershaw.As a result, the Braves offense is in a free-fall.And according to ESPN'sSarah Langs, they are the first team since the 1921 New York Giants to open a postseason series with back-to-back scoreless appearances.The Braves should be a force to be reckoned with in the National League for quite some time given the quality of their young core, but they are going to have to deal with a couple of sobering setbacks on the game's biggest stage before they can make another leap.Buehler Can Become Household Name with Big Performance in Decisive Game 3It's hard to grab headlining honors in the Dodgers rotation with Kershaw andHyun-Jin Ryu dealing, but Walker Buehler will have a chance to make himself a household name in Game 3.Just 24 years old, Buehler cemented himself as a core piece of L.A.'s starting staff this season as he rebounded from a forgettable 9.1 innings in 2017 to go 8-5 with a 2.62 ERA and 4.08 strikeout-to-walk rate."If it wasn't for Walker, we probably wouldn't be here in this situation right now," second basemen Enrique Hernandez said, per ESPN.com'sBradford Doolittle."He's been huge."Still Miles Mikolas Jersey , the hype has yet to reach a fever pitch.That can all change, though, if he rolls into hostile territory and leads the Dodgers to a sweep in Game 3.Some rejuvenated Braves bats will likely greet Buehler in Atlanta, but the opportunity will present itself for him to produce what is sure to be the first of many signature moments.What's Next?The series shifts to SunTrust Park in Atlanta as the Dodgers aim to punch their ticket to the NLCS. Game 3 will get underway Sunday at 8:07 p.m. ET. PHOENIX — Two down, 15 to go.A potentially record-setting 15 as the Arizona Diamondbacks continue a four-game series with the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.Starting with the current four-game series against NL East-leading Atlanta, the Diamondbacks are scheduled to play 17 consecutive games against division leaders — the Braves, Colorado, Houston, the Cubs and Colorado again.Article continues below ...Things could change, especially in the NL West, inasmuch as the Rockies have five games remaining against the second-place Dodgers — two more at Coors Field this weekend and three in Dodger Stadium from Sept. 17-19.But if the status quo remains, the Diamondbacks will be the first team in major league history to play 17 straight against division leaders, according to STATS research. Baltimore has the record, 14 in a row in 1993. Detroit tied that in 1996.So?“That’s why you play the game,” said Diamondbacks infielder Daniel Descalso, a veteran of stretch-run baseball with St. Louis and Arizona. “If you don’t think it is fun, if it is too much for you Bud Norris Jersey , then you probably should be doing something else. If it is not fun, go home.”The Diamondbacks beat Atlanta 5-3 behind Paul Goldschmidt’s homer on Friday to even the series at one game apiece, and they will send right-hander Clay Buchholz (7-2, 2.05 ERA) to the mound to face Atlanta right-hander Julio Teheran (9-7, 4.05) on Saturday.“We love the challenge,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “We know what is in front of us. I’ve been telling these guys to embrace it. Go out and be your best when you are supposed to be your best, that’s what champions do. See how far that takes us.”Atlanta remains in the driver’s seat in the NL East despite a recent rough patch. After pulling 4 1/2 games ahead of Philadelphia on. Aug. 28, the Braves have won only three of 10 but remain 2 1/2 games ahead as the Phillies have scuffled.“This team has kept it day at a time very well all year,” said Atlanta manager Brian Snitker, a top contender for the NL manager of the year award.“We’ve been through some rough spots and always weathered them. Bad games (we) weathered them. As a group, we are going to play today, regardless of what happened yesterday. Today is the only thing we can control. They have been really resilient. We’ve had a great mindset and energy level all year long when we have been in adverse situations.”Snitker also is not focused on manager of the year talk.“Players make that,” he said. “When you have good players and they do well, then you get put in that conversation. I just worry about winning today.”Buchholz, who is having a rebirth after regaining his health this season, has been Arizona’s steadiest starter the last several turns.“What he has done for us this year, he’s been a huge boost http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-jason-motte-jersey ,” said Alex Avila, who has caught four of Buchholz’s last five starts, including a 5-1 complete game in San Diego on Aug. 16.“And you are going to need stuff like that happening over the course of the year for any team. You’re going to need contributions from unexpected places in order to get to where you want to get to.”Buchholz is 3-1 in his last six starts and has given up only two earned runs over his last four starts, with two victories and two no-decisions. His ERA is 1.32 in that span. Buchholz is 3-0 in five home starts. Because he spent the majority of his career in the AL, he has faced the Braves only three times, going 1-1 with a 6.06 ERA.“He has great command of all four of his pitches on most days,” Avila said. “It makes it fun to be able to call a game and catch a guy like that because you know you have four pitches to get a hitter out.”Teheran has made quality starts in four of his last five outings, although he is 1-0 with four no-decisions in that stretch. He gave up four hits and one run in seven innings in the Braves’ 5-1 victory in his start last Saturday but was not involved in the decision.He has limited the home run ball recently, one of the keys to his recent run. He has given up 24 homers this year, fifth-most in the league, but only two in his last five games.Teheran gave up four hits and struck out six in 6 1/3 scoreless innings in a 5-1 victory over the Diamondbacks on July 15, the final game before the All-Star break. He is 4-1 with a 2.72 ERA in eight career starts against Arizona, including 1-1 in four starts at Chase Field.
