Dodgers push Braves to brink of MLB exit

LOS ANGELES, California — Enrique Hernandez and Freddie Freeman smacked home runs on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) to power the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers over Atlanta, 3-1, and to the brink of advancing in the Major League Baseball (MLB) playoffs. A two-run blast by Hernandez and a solo shot by former Braves star Freeman in the fourth inning combined with a stellar pitching effort from Japan’s Yoshinobu Yamamoto to seal Atlanta’s fate. Yamamoto, a 28-year-old right-hander, struck out 10, matching his MLB career high, while surrendering only one run on four hits over seven innings. “I was feeling really good. I was able to control my pitches,” said Yamamoto through a translator. “That’s why I got the swings and misses. “My fastball was coming out of my hand pretty good, so naturally I ended up relying on it.” The Dodgers took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five National League (NL) divisional series, which continues in Atlanta on Wednesday. The reigning World Series champion Dodgers are trying to win a third consecutive title, something no NL club has ever done. In a later game, the Milwaukee Brewers seek a road victory at San Diego to complete a sweep of the Padres and reach the best-of-seven NL Championship...