LOS ANGELES — Just when the fading Los Angeles Dodgers were barely visible above the horizon in the eighth inning of Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, Cody Bellinger pulled them back into view. Three-run homers atone for many sins, and by the time Bellinger’s blast dropped into a sea of fans in right field, eight innings of Dodgers shortcomings were papered over.
Kenley Jansen came in to close out the 6-5 win following the Dodgers’ stunning four-run eighth inning, and with that Los Angeles was back in the series.
Forgotten at that point was Gavin Lux’s misplay in center field that opened the door for Atlanta’s four-run fourth inning. Forgotten was the Dodgers hitting 2 for 20 with runners in scoring position in this series ahead of Bellinger’s at-bat. And forgotten was the fact that the feeble Dodgers’ offense, in falling behind 5-2, had failed to advance a base runner as far as second base from the third through the seventh innings.