If any momentum carried over into the third game of the series for the Braves, it was difficult to find. The Dodgers controlled the game throughout, winning, 6-1.
Jon Garland pitched a complete game for the Dodgers, allowing one run on four hits while walking two and striking out four. He threw just 108 pitches over nine innings, inducing nine groundouts to six flyouts.
The Dodgers set the tone early with five runs in the first two innings off Derek Lowe. Juan Uribe singled home two in the first and second innings, and Andre Ethier added a RBI single. The Dodgers added a run in the fourth on a solo home run by Ethier.
Lowe allowed five runs on nine hits in three innings, walking one and striking out five. It was an odd outing for Lowe, who seemed to either strike a batter out or give up a single through a hole. Two of the four hits in the first inning were grounders, and the other two were hard line drives. The same happened in the second inning.
It was a combination of line drive and ground ball hits, but Lowe wasn't really fooling many batters - unless you count the five strikeouts. But the slider wasn't the go-to pitch as it has been in previous starts. Only one strikeout was on the breaking ball.
Cristhian Martinez gave up the home run to Ethier in the fourth, his only hit allowed, and he struck out two. Jairo Asencio was near perfect over three innings, not allowing any runs or hits and just one walk with two strikeouts. Eric O'Flaherty pitched a scoreless eighth with two strikeouts. The Braves bullpen combined for six strikeouts over five innings.
The lone Braves run came in the third when Nate McLouth doubled to lead off the inning and eventually scored on a sac fly by Martin Prado. McLouth went 2-3 in the game, accounting for half of the team's hits. Brooks Conrad and Dan Uggla had the two walks. Jason Heyward went 0-4 with three strikeouts to lower his average to .190.
Uribe went 3-4 with four RBI for the Dodgers. Ethier went 3-4 with a double, homer and two RBI. Casey Blake added two singles and scored twice.
For more on the series, Braves fans check out Talking Chop and Dodgers fans check out True Blue LA.