The Milwaukee Brewers have taken a two games to one lead over the L.A. Dodgers after a 4-0 road win shut-out last night, and some Dodger players aren't happy about their fan support, or lack thereof.
Dodger catcher Yasmani Grandal has been struggling, and in game one of the series became the first catcher in playoff history to commit two errors and allow two passed balls in the same game. He let another pitch get by him for a passed ball last night, which allowed a Brewers run to score, and he also struck out with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th.
Manager Dave Roberts said after the game that Austin Barnes will replace Grandal in game four, but Enrique Hernandez chastised Dodger fans for showering boos on Grandal along with chants of "We want Austin!" throughout the game.
He also said the fans turned quiet in the first inning after Milwaukee got a run on an RBI double by Ryan Braun and criticized their lack of energy, and he may have a point.
The knock on Dodger fans is they arrive to the ballpark late and leave early to beat the traffic, and while Grandal has had a rough series including a bad slump at the plate, he's hardly the only reason the Dodgers are in a hole.
Milwaukee starter Jhoulys Chacin combined with four relievers to limit the Dodgers to just five hits. Orlando Arcia hit a two-run homer to power the Brewer offense. Game four is tonight at Dodger Stadium with a battle of lefties between Rich Hill and Gio Gonzalez for Milwaukee. We'll see if the Dodger faithful can be more charitable and supportive now that they've gotten their wish to see Grandal benched in favor of Barnes.
Meanwhile the American League championship series shifts to Houston for game three between the Red Sox and Astros, and that'll be a 5pm start in Texas. Nathan Eovaldi gets the ball for Boston against Dallas Keuchel for the defending champs with the series tied at a game apiece.
In Monday Night Football the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers were in a 30-30 deadlock going into the final minute of play when Green Bay's Kevin King intercepted a pass at the 10 yard line to thwart a potential game winning drive by the Niners.
Aaron Rogers led the pack downfield after that for a game winning field goal by Mason Crosby as time expired for a 33-30 Green Bay victory. The drive might have fell short but for Niners cornerback Richard Sherman being penalized for illegal contact on a 3rd and 15 that negated a sack of Rogers, who scampered 21 yards on the next play and completed two more passes to set up Crosby's winner, and Crosby needed that one, because just a week earlier he'd missed on four field goal attempts.
In the NHL Tomas Plekanec played his 1,000th career game and scored a goal in the Montreal Canadiens' 7-3 victory over the still winless on the season Detroit Red Wings. Jonathan Drouin potted two for the Habs in the blow out win.
Meanwhile the Toronto Maple Leafs are now 6-1 on the season after a 4-1 win over the L.A. Kings last night. Kasperi Kapanen scored twice in the win, and the Leafs didn't miss a beat even with back up goalie Garrett Sparks in net to spell the injured Frederik Andersen.
In women's college soccer, Northern Vermont-Lyndon scored a dramatic 1-0 win over Norwich yesterday with less than two minutes to go in the game when Jessica Hillman broke in alone on a breakaway after a collecting a long pass from EmmaLee Smith.
Hillman's strike was supported by Hornets goalie Victoria McCormack, who stopped all 13 shots to earn the shut-out.
