Written by Bradford Doolittle at ESPN.com
Two things were abundantly clear about the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night, and both propelled them into their second straight National League Championship Series.
First: Yu Darvish, a trade-deadline acquisition brought in specifically for this time of the year, gave the Dodgers exactly what they needed.
Second: Even before Darvish was added, the Dodgers were baseball’s best team with top-to-bottom excellence, featuring a deep roster that had been unexpectedly bolstered by the right-on-time arrival of the National League’s top rookie, Cody Bellinger.
All of this was on display Monday, as the Dodgers stymied the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1 to complete the only three-game sweep of the four division series this season.
“Yu really stepped up huge for us,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He was in command and control from the first pitch, working to both sides of the plate.
“It was just fun to watch him have his nerves calm and just compete. He was out there having fun.”
With Diamondbacks ace Zack Greinke on the mound, the efficiency of the Dodgers’ lineup waited out Greinke time after time.
Chris Taylor worked Greinke deep in the count to lead off the game, then unloaded on a slider for a double. He scored on Bellinger’s roller for the first run, all the scoring there was until the fifth inning.
But the Dodgers worked Greinke for five walks — the most he’d allowed since Aug. 15, 2014, when he pitched for L.A. By the end of the fifth, his pitch count had topped 100.
“It’s just a collective group of guys willing to do whatever it takes to win a ballgame,” Bellinger said. “Unselfish and the way guys pass the baton and pick each other up is incredible.”
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