The Atlanta Braves managed to tie their National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers a game a piece Friday night behind Mike Minors' strong six-inning outing.
"We definitely didn't want to lose two games in front of our home crowd," said Atlanta third baseman Chris Johnson.
The Dodgers jumped out to an early lead much like the did in Game 1 but Minor kept his composure, striking out Adrian Gonzalez and inducing rookie sensation Yasiel Puig into a grounder to end the inning.
The Dodgers hope to turn things around starting Hyun-Jin Ryu (18-8 with a 3.00 ERA) in Game 3 - the Dodgers first home playoff game since 2009. Ryu - a 26-year-old rookie from South Korea who the Dodgers paid a $25.7 million posting fee on top of signing the pitcher to a six-year $36 million deal - made two regular-season starts against the Atlanta, both no-decisions, giving up one run in 7 2/3 innings the last time he faced Atlanta on June 7.
Ryu, who normally did not take a bullpen session prior to games, took a full session since he has not pitched since Sept. 29 due to a back ailment that has bothered him throughout the month of September. Ryu went 2-5 with a 3.30 ERA in his finale seven starts.
"We don't consider him a rookie," said Dodgers pitching ace Clayton Kershaw. "The way he carries himself every day, we're really not worried about composure or the adrenaline getting to him, or anything like that. He has such a great feel for his four pitches."
Atlanta will turn to their own rookie, 22-year-old Julio Teheran, who went 14-8 with a 14-8 3.20 ERA, but did not face the Dodgers this year. The young Colombian kept a solid 2.97 ERA in the second half for the Braves, and is excited to be a part of Atlanta's playoff run after years of bouncing back and forth between the major leagues and minors the last couple of years.
"I feel really excited about this game," said Teheran. "I never thought that I'm going to be in this situation this year in my first year. But I'm just trying to calm down myself and be focused on the game and try to do the same thing I've been doing."
TV Schedule
You can catch Game 3 of the Atlanta Braves - Los Angeles Dodgers National League Division Series Sunday at 8:07 p.m EST on TBS.
Live Stream (video)
Live stream coverage can be seen on MLB.tv (subscription required).
Live Stream (audio)
Live stream coverage can be heard MLB.com Gameday Audio.
Live Score
Live scores could be followed by clicking here.