Rosario belts two HRs; Braves close in on series

LOS ANGELES — Eddie Rosario homered twice in his second four-hit game of the NL Championship Series and six Atlanta pitchers combined on a four-hitter, giving the Braves a 9-2 victory Wednesday over the Los Angeles Dodgers and a commanding 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven playoff.

Adam Duvall and Freddie Freeman also homered for Atlanta, which bounced right back from blowing a late lead in an agonizing loss Tuesday and ended its 10-game losing streak at Dodger Stadium.

Game 5 is today in Los Angeles, with the Braves one win from their first pennant in 22 years and the defending World Series champions facing elimination. Last year, the Dodgers trailed 0-2 and 1-3 against Atlanta in the NLCS before roaring back to win three consecutive games at a neutral site in Arlington, Texas.

They’ll need to jump-start their offense to have a shot. Their first five hitters — Mookie Betts, Corey Seager, Trea Turner, Will Smith and Gavin Lux — were a combined 0 for 17.

Los Angeles, which had won 18 of 19 at home going back to the regular season, has won six consecutive postseason elimination games dating to last year.

“I feel good about it,” Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts said. “We have a very resilient team, a very tough team, and it’s not going to get much tougher than facing Max Fried in an elimination game, but we’ve done it before.”

Rosario became the first player to have two four-hit games in a League Championship Series. He drove in four runs and scored three while continuing his torrid postseason hitting, finishing a double short of the cycle. He homered in the second inning, tripled in the third, singled in the fifth and clocked a three-run home run in the ninth.

“As soon as I hit that second one out, I go, `Oh well, there goes the double,’ ” Rosario said through a translator.

Rosario was acquired from Cleveland on July 30 as the Braves remade their depleted outfield before the trade deadline.

What a find he’s been. The left fielder has hit safely in every game of this postseason, piling up 14 hits so far — including a walk-off single in Game 2 against the Dodgers. He has struck out only once.

Rosario is 10 for 17 (.588) with two home runs and six RBI in the NLCS.

“He’s been looking so good at the plate, hitting balls hard,” Freeman said.

Atlanta’s four home runs tied a postseason franchise record.

Each of the series’ first three games was decided by one run in the last two innings. But when it got late this time, the wild-card Dodgers couldn’t generate any comeback magic.

Atlanta opener Jesse Chavez combined with Drew Smyly (Little Rock Central, Arkansas Razorbacks), Chris Martin, A.J. Minter, Tyler Matzek and Will Smith to hold down the Dodgers’ offense. Los Angeles didn’t get a hit until the fifth and was