THE San Francisco Giants face the Los Angeles Dodgers in game three of the National League division series tonight at Dodger Stadium. Game time is slated for 6:37 PM local time, 9:37 PM PDT.  The Giants will try to retake the lead in this series after LA won game two decisively, 9-2, Saturday night at Oracle Park.  Tonight the Dodgers will send their best, Max Scherzer, out to start while the Giants will start Alex Wood, the former Dodger.        

About Saturday's game, little enough need be said. Kevin Gausman struggled early, walking Mookie Betts to start the game and then giving up two runs in the second, establishing a lead LA never lost. Julio Urias, the 20-game-winning lefty, made that second inning especially ugly with a two-run single after the Giants had intentionally walked A.J. Pollock to get to him. But the Giants cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the frame and Gausman settled down, retiring ten in a row, and it stayed a close game until the sixth. Trea Turner led that inning off with a double, and when Will Smith walked with one out, Gabe Kapler went to his bullpen. Sadly, Dominic Leone just didn't have it, and after a walk-double-double sequence, it was 6-1. To cap the climax, the Giants tried to answer back in the bottom of the sixth with a walk, a single, and a RBI single by Brandon Crawford, but Wilmer Flores ignored that old rule which says you never make the third out at third base. Betts' perfect throw from right nailed him trying to advance from first, and that ended the rally, the inning and, effectively, the game. 

With the win, LA took the home-field advantage; they can now win out at Dodger Stadium. But the Giants have overcome every single one of these types of obstacles during this season, and no one with any sense will say they can't do it now. 

Notes

Two fine pitchers, Milwaukee's Corbin Burnes and Atlanta's Max Fried, have set the tone for the other NL division series, which also stands tied at 1-1 and resumes this evening in Atlanta... The 100-game-winning Tampa Bay Rays are in danger of blowing their AL division series with Boston after winning the first game. The Red Sox' power has told the story the last two nights, and their bullpen has yet to collapse... Houston had a chance to close out the White Sox in Chicago last night, but Tony LaRussa's bunch put up 12 runs last night and can force a game five with a win tomorrow.