Late rise has sun setting on series

Dodgers wake up from slow start and cash in on chances to take 3-0 lead on Brewers

- Jack Harris

TYLER GLASNOW struck out eight in his Game 3 outing as the Dodgers' starting rotation compiled a 1.54 ERA in the postseason.

During the first five innings Thursday afternoon, the Dodgers patiently waited.

For impossible shadows to subside on a sunny afternoon at Dodger Stadium.

For Milwaukee Brewers rookie star Jacob Misiorowski to lose steam amid an electric bulk-relief outing.

For the door to crack even slightly open, and give their veteran club — seeking a 3-0 lead in the National League Championship Series — the opportunity to burst through it.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the moment finally arrived.

And once the Brewers wavered, the relentless Dodgers pounced.

With a two-run rally fueled by professional hitting, aggressive baserunning and a little cat-and-mouse with the pitch clock, the Dodgers broke an early tie, took a lead they wouldn't relinquish and moved to the doorstep of the World Series with a 3-1 win in Game 3 of the NLCS.

For a team that underwhelmed so drastically in the regular season, the Dodgers are 8-1 in these playoffs.

“I just think we have guys who have a slow heartbeat, and that’s kind of what makes us successful in the postseason,” said Tommy Edman, who had the decisive hit in the sixth inning with a go-ahead single. “We just do a good job of staying levelheaded, even in the big situations.”

That’s what happened in the sixth, when the Dodgers shrugged off a sluggish start to a game that had been dominated by Misiorowski and Tyler Glasnow.

The shadows went away. Misiorowski’s stuff started to diminish. And right on cue, the defending champions cashed in.

The inning started with a one-out single from Will Smith, who got a rare mistake from Misiorowski and hit a hanging slider on a liner to left.

Then, Freddie Freeman came to the plate and outwitted the rookie pitcher.