Dodgers bullpen Mookie Betts battles back to tie the NLDS and force a Game 5

SAN DIEGO – It would be difficult to describe the Dodgers' outlook heading into Game 4 of the NLDS as anything other than bleak. San Diego took all of the momentum of the series by winning Game 2 and carried it into their own building to win a decisive Game 3. After winning haymaker after haymaker in the previous two games, the light began to dim on this Los Angeles team.

Making matters worse, in a series where they lacked top-notch starting pitching, it was their bullpen, which faced one of the league's best starters in Dylan Cease, to see if the Dodgers would have a chance to win try to extend their season at home in Game 5 or watch their division rivals celebrate leaving the field.

But with their season on the line and their backs against the wall, something happened Wednesday in San Diego: The Dodgers finally found their fight.

“We're a bunch of fighters,” Mookie Betts said after his team's 8-0 win in Game 4. “We're a bunch of fighters and we knew this wasn't going to be easy.”

It would have been easy for the Dodgers to quit after getting punched in the mouth multiple times by a Padres team that had taken the fight to them since Game 1. To add insult to injury – or rather, vice versa – first baseman Freddie Freeman was struck out 90 minutes before first pitch, leaving LA's lineup in disarray and without a cornerstone.

But the Dodgers made no excuses.

In the first two games of this series, Betts' difficulties at the plate were evident. With an 0-for-22 postseason streak heading into Game 3, you could tell the Dodgers superstar was starting to feel the pressure. But his home run early in Game 3 may have been just the boost he and his teammates were waiting for.

In the first inning of Game 4, Betts got LA's lineup going again with a solo shot into the Padres' bullpen that gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead they wouldn't relinquish.

“I think I just needed to see a fall and gain a little confidence,” Betts said after the game. “I know my team did a great job trying to instill confidence in me.”

But in this case, the Dodgers' right fielder didn't have to do all the heavy lifting. The Dodgers got multiple hits on nights from Betts, Teoscar Hernandez, Gavin Lux and Kike Hernandez, with eight of their nine starters scoring in the game.

LA scored early and numerous, adding two runs in the second inning, two more in the third and three in the seventh to put the Padres away. The Dodgers had never held a lead of more than three runs at any point in this series, but when they needed it most, they opened the floodgates.

“When you go through a regular season, a lot of things are kind of calculated and there are a lot of variables because you're playing for the long haul,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said afterward. “But when you get to the postseason, it’s a street fight. It's about players, and your desire must be greater than your opponent's.

“And seeing our guys go through what they’ve been through and how they respond, I’m really excited for Game 5.”

No matter the circumstances, the Dodgers' offense is their best weapon and a formidable opponent, but if this team wanted to force a Game 5 and fight on another day, it would also need a strong performance on the mound for the first time since this series. Playing a bullpen game in Game 4 probably wasn't the first choice to save the team's season, but it was what they had to do.

And the “Johnny Wholestaff” approach not only worked, it also delivered the Dodgers’ best pitching performance so far this postseason. Openers Ryan Brasier, Anthony Banda, Michael Kopech, Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips, Daniel Hudson, Blake Treinen and Landon Knack combined to pitch nine scoreless innings, allowing seven hits and two walks en route to the team's first shutout of the postseason. The Dodgers bullpen has now thrown 12 consecutive scoreless frames, including three to end Tuesday's Game 3 loss.

“They were fantastic,” said catcher Will Smith, who added a home run in the third. “Attacking the zone, throwing guys away. And put up nine zeros – that’s what we needed tonight. So thank you to those guys for keeping us going.”

The tremendous effort from the Dodgers bullpen is helping them prepare for Game 5 on Friday at Dodger Stadium. While Roberts did not announce the team's plans for the winner-take-all competition, LA has both Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Jack Flaherty available as well as a day off to rest the bullpen. The team hopes the extra day of rest could also allow Freeman to return to the lineup with the season and a trip to the NLCS on the line.

The Dodgers have played a lot of postseason baseball in recent years, and their experience in high-pressure situations has given them the ability, as cliche as it may be, to take it one game at a time. With this series now balanced and momentum turning in their favor heading back to LA, the Dodgers have a real chance to do what many thought was impossible.

“We knew what we were going to do,” Betts said. “We knew what a challenge we had to face, but we all just had fun.”