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Dodgers fell to the Braves 5-4 in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series on Sunday night. The Dodgers held a 4-2 lead entering the bottom of the eighth inning, yet were unable to hold the lead.
It's becoming the norm for managers to ask their starters to potentially appear on their "throw days," or usually two days before their scheduled outings. That's important to know because Urías, the Dodgers' scheduled starter for Game 4, entered for the bottom of the eighth inning. Roberts' plan seemed to entail leveraging Urías by having him face the top of Atlanta's order, a group that includes two left-handed hitters.
Dave Roberts after the game explained his decision to bring in Julio late in the game:
"Julio, in my opinion, was the best option that we had." Said he held off on throwing his bullpen session to prepare for coming out of the bullpen tonight or last night. Said he trusted Urías's experience over other lefties available.
The Dodgers are staring at a 0-2 deficit and will have to overcome that if they want to advance to their fourth World Series in five tries.
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