Dodgers force Game 5 to be held

(Los Angeles) The California rivalry will escalate as Dodgers and Giants face off in a fifth and final NHL Divisional Series game. The Dodgers pushed the series to the limit with a 7-2 win on Tuesday.

Mookie Betts hit the long ball and produced three runs, Will Smith also hit a home run and the Dodgers avoided elimination to call for Game 5 on Thursday. The winner will face the Atlanta Braves in the National Championship Series.

Dave Roberts handed the ball to Walker Buehler in this critically important game. Buehler was pitching after a short three-day rest for the first time in his career and he delivered the goods for the defending World Series champions.

According to the little story, it was Buehler himself who asked his manager to get the fourth game started… from the second game of the series! The right-hander was excellent, allowing just one run on three hits in four innings and a third of work. He recorded four strikeouts and allowed two walks.

Buehler relented to crowd applause after hitting fifth-inning first hitter Evan Longoria, then balancing alternate hitter Steven Duggar after an out.

On the other hand, the Dodgers chased Giants starter Anthony DeSclafani in the second inning. He gave up two runs on five hits.

By the time Buehler gave way to the Dodgers in the fifth inning, the Giants had already used six pitchers. The enclosure only had three relievers to finish the match. In the seventh inning, there was only assistant receiver Curt Casali available on the bench. He came to strike urgently in eighth.

Betts hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning, then his sacrifice ball in the fifth saw Cody Bellinger cross plate to make it 5-1.

Smith slammed a two-run long ball in the eighth, widening the lead to 7-2.

The Giants scored their runs early in the fifth inning when Darin Ruf hit a ground and early in the eighth on a similar play.

Last year, the Dodgers were 3-0 in the tie-breakers. They had slipped back 1-3 in the championship series against the Atlanta Braves to reach the World Series and eventually win the title.

For the fifth game, the Dodgers will hand the ball to left-hander Julio Urías. The Giants have not confirmed the identity of their starting pitcher, but it should be right-hander Logan Webb.