ATLANTA (AP) — Max Fried outpitched Trevor Bauer, and the Atlanta Braves beat Los Angeles 4-2 on Sunday to take two of three in the first meeting of the teams since the Dodgers rallied to win last year's NL Championship Series.

Albert Pujols hit his 671st home run and had two hits and two RBIs for the Dodgers. He homered leading off the ninth against closer Will Smith, who regrouped to get his 11th save in 11 chances.

 

 

Ender Inciarte had a hit and drove in two runs for the Braves.

Atlanta led the NL Championship Series 3-1 last October before Los Angeles came back to win the pennant and then beat Tampa Bay for its first World Series title since 1988.

What You Need To Know

  • The Dodgers lost to the Braves 4-2 Sunday in Atlanta

  • Albert Pujols hit his 671st home run and had two hits and two RBIs for the Dodgers

  • Trevor Bauer (6-4) allowed three runs and six hits in six innings and matched his season high of four walks for the fourth time

  • Up next: following an off day on Monday, RHP Walker Buehler (4-0, 2.82) is scheduled to start in Tuesday night's opener of a three-game series at Pittsburgh

Fried lost Game 6 by 3-1, allowing first-inning home runs to Corey Seager and Justin Turner.

This time, Fried (3-3) allowed one run and six hits in six innings and walked none for the first time in nine starts. He threw 65 of 92 pitches for strikes

Bauer (6-4) allowed three runs and six hits in six innings and matched his season high of four walks for the fourth time. Two of the batters who reached on walks later scored.

 

 

Dansby Swanson, who had his career-best, 12-game hitting streak end in Friday, hit cleanup for the first time in his big league career. He led off the second with a single to left and scored on Abraham Almonte's double to the wall in center field.

Bauer walked Freddie Freeman with two outs in the third, and Ozzie Albies followed with a run-scoring double past Cody Bellinger in center.

Almonte walked opening the sixth, took third on Ehire Adrianza’s single and scored on Inciarte’s single. Inciarte's bases-loaded fly ball to left field off David Price in the eighth drove in Atlanta's fourth run.

Justin Turner hit a one-out double in the fourth for the Dodgers' first hit, and Pujols' bloop opposite-field single to right drove in Turner.

Pujols hit an inning-ending popout in the sixth that stranded runners on second and third. He is fifth on the home run list behind Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714) and Alex Rodriguez (696).

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Dodgers: C Austin Barnes and IF Max Muncy were held out of the lineup with sore ankles. Manager Dave Roberts said before the game he was “hopeful but not necessarily confident” Muncy, who popped out as a pinch-hitter in the seventh, won't miss another start. Roberts said Barnes was “sore as expected” and had “some swelling” after twisting his ankle in Saturday's game. Barnes was available to catch only in an emergency.

Braves: RHP Shane Greene was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett. Greene, 32, allowed one run in 4 1/3 innings with Gwinnett after re-signing with Atlanta on May 9. RHP Jacob Webb was optioned to Gwinnett only one day after his recall.

Up next

Dodgers: Following an off day on Monday, RHP Walker Buehler (4-0, 2.82) is scheduled to start in Tuesday night's opener of a three-game series at Pittsburgh.

Braves: LHP Drew Smyly (2-3, 5.98) is scheduled to start on Tuesday night at Philadelphia following Monday's day off.