Failing to hold a 5-2 lead, the Dodgers lost to the Braves, 9-6, and missed a chance to close in on the Giants in the West division race. Willie Davis hit a two-run homer for the Dodgers in the first inning, but a round-tripper by Earl Williams and run-scoring single by Marty Perez pulled the Braves even in the second. The Dodgers knocked out Jim Nash in their half of the second and took a 5-2 lead, but the Braves began their comeback with the first of two homers by Darrell Evans in the fourth before tying the score with two runs in the fifth.

Felix Millan snapped the deadlock with a run-scoring double in the sixth and subsequently crossed the plate himself on a sacrifice fly by Mike Lum. Evans hit his second homer of the game in the seventh. Dick Allen homered in the Dodgers' half, but it was not enough to keep the Los Angeles club from going down to its fourth straight defeat. [The Sporting News]



Atlanta Braves 9, Los Angeles Dodgers 6
Game Played on Saturday, September 18, 1971 (Day game) at Dodger Stadium
Braves       0  2  0    1  2  2    1  1  0  -   9 17  0
Dodgers      2  3  0    0  0  0    1  0  0  -   6  9  0


Braves               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Dodgers              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Millan 2b             5   2   3   1     0   0   .292      Wills ss              5   2   3   0     0   0   .280
Garr lf               5   1   3   0     0   0   .338      Buckner rf            3   0   0   1     0   0   .280
H. Aaron 1b           4   1   3   1     1   1   .330        Lefebvre ph         1   0   0   0     0   0   .243
Lum rf                4   0   0   1     0   0   .275        Pena p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .667
Williams c            5   1   2   2     0   1   .264      Davis cf              5   1   2   3     0   0   .312
Evans 3b              5   3   3   3     0   0   .247      Allen 3b              3   1   2   1     2   0   .296
  Garrido 3b          0   0   0   0     0   0   .207      Crawford lf           3   0   0   1     1   0   .282
Jackson cf            5   0   1   0     0   0   .261        Grabarkewitz ph     1   0   0   0     0   0   .214
Perez ss              4   1   2   1     0   0   .232      Parker 1b             5   0   1   0     0   2   .278
Nash p                1   0   0   0     0   0   .149      Haller c              1   1   0   0     3   0   .271
  Neibauer p          2   0   0   0     0   2   .000      Valentine 2b          4   0   0   0     0   1   .254
  Barber p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .154      Singer p              1   1   0   0     1   0   .093
                                                            Moeller p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Garvey ph           1   0   0   0     0   0   .227
                                                            Mikkelsen p         0   0   0   0     0   0   .200
                                                            Sudakis ph          1   0   1   0     0   0   .195
                                                            Russell pr,rf       0   0   0   0     0   0   .225

Totals               40   9  17   9     1   4             Totals               34   6   9   6     7   3

Time of Game: 2:49   Attendance: 25,482
Left on Base: Braves 7, Dodgers 9
DP: Braves 1, Dodgers 2
Doubles: Williams (13), Millan 2 (18), Parker (24)
Home Runs: Williams (33), Evans 2 (10), Davis (7), Allen (22)
Stolen Bases: Evans (2), Garr (28)
Sacrifice Hits: Neibauer (1)
Sacrifice Flies: Lum (6), Buckner (1)
GIDP: Lum (8), Singer (2)


Braves                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Nash                    1.2   5   5   5   2   0   1  12   5.00
Neibauer W(1-0)         6     4   1   1   4   2   1  25   1.72
Barber SV(2)            1.1   0   0   0   1   1   0   5   5.09
Totals                  9     9   6   6   7   3   2  42

Dodgers                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Singer                  4    10   5   5   0   2   2  21   4.24
Moeller L(2-4)          2     4   2   2   1   0   0  11   3.36
Mikkelsen               2     3   2   2   0   1   1   8   3.70
Pena                    1     0   0   0   0   1   0   3   3.56
Totals                  9    17   9   9   1   4   3  43

Umpires: HP - Stan Landes, 1B - Mel Steiner, 2B - Satch Davidson, 3B - Shag Crawford


BRAVES 1ST: Millan singled to left; Garr lined into a double
play (second to first) [Millan out at first]; H. Aaron struck
out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 0, Dodgers 0.

DODGERS 1ST: Wills singled to center; Buckner grounded out
(pitcher to first) [Wills to second]; Davis homered [Wills
scored]; Allen singled to third; Crawford flied out to left;
Parker grounded out (second to first); 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Braves 0, Dodgers 2.

BRAVES 2ND: Lum grounded out (second to first); Williams
homered; Evans singled to right; Evans stole second; Jackson
made an out to shortstop; Perez singled to left [Evans scored];
Nash grounded out (pitcher to first); 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Braves 2, Dodgers 2.

DODGERS 2ND: Haller walked; Valentine grounded out (second to
first) [Haller to second]; Singer walked; Wills singled to
center [Haller to third, Singer to second]; Buckner lined out on
a sacrifice fly to center [Haller scored]; Davis singled to left
[Singer scored, Wills to second]; NEIBAUER REPLACED NASH
(PITCHING); Allen walked [Wills to third, Davis to second];
Crawford walked [Wills scored, Davis to third, Allen to second];
Parker flied out to left; 3 R, 2 H, 0 E, 3 LOB.  Braves 2,
Dodgers 5.

BRAVES 3RD: Millan flied out to left; Garr singled to left; H.
Aaron singled to right [Garr to third]; Lum flied out to left;
Williams flied out to right; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Braves 2,
Dodgers 5.

DODGERS 3RD: Haller walked; Valentine struck out; On a bunt
Singer grounded into a double play (pitcher to shortstop to
second) [Haller out at second]; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 2,
Dodgers 5.

BRAVES 4TH: Evans homered; Jackson singled to second; Perez
flied out to center; Neibauer was called out on strikes; Millan
flied out to center; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Braves 3, Dodgers 5.

DODGERS 4TH: Wills grounded out (second to first); Buckner flied
out to left; Davis grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Braves 3, Dodgers 5.

BRAVES 5TH: Garr singled to second; H. Aaron singled to center
[Garr to second]; MOELLER REPLACED SINGER (PITCHING); Lum flied
out to right; Williams doubled to right [Garr scored, H. Aaron
to third]; Evans grounded out (second to first) [H. Aaron
scored, Williams to third]; Jackson grounded out (second to
first); 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Braves 5, Dodgers 5.

DODGERS 5TH: Allen flied out to left; Crawford lined to second;
Parker doubled to right; Haller was walked intentionally;
Valentine flied out to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Braves 5,
Dodgers 5.

BRAVES 6TH: Perez singled to center; Neibauer out on a sacrifice
bunt (first to second) [Perez to second]; Millan doubled to
right [Perez scored]; Garr singled to third [Millan to third];
Garr stole second; H. Aaron was walked intentionally; Lum hit a
sacrifice fly to center [Millan scored, Garr to third]; Williams
forced H. Aaron (third to second); 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Braves
7, Dodgers 5.

DODGERS 6TH: GARVEY BATTED FOR MOELLER; Garvey grounded out
(shortstop to first); Wills flied out to center; Buckner made an
out to shortstop; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 7, Dodgers 5.

BRAVES 7TH: MIKKELSEN REPLACED GARVEY (PITCHING); Evans homered;
Jackson grounded out (first unassisted); Perez grounded out
(third to first); Neibauer struck out; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Braves 8, Dodgers 5.

DODGERS 7TH: Davis grounded out (second to first); Allen
homered; Crawford lined to left; Parker struck out; 1 R, 1 H, 0
E, 0 LOB.  Braves 8, Dodgers 6.

BRAVES 8TH: Millan doubled to left; Garr grounded out (shortstop
to first) [Millan to third]; H. Aaron singled to center [Millan
scored]; Lum grounded into a double play (second to shortstop to
first) [H. Aaron out at second]; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves
9, Dodgers 6.

DODGERS 8TH: Haller made an out to second; Valentine flied out
to center; SUDAKIS BATTED FOR MIKKELSEN; Sudakis singled to
left; RUSSELL RAN FOR SUDAKIS; Wills singled to center [Russell
to second]; BARBER REPLACED NEIBAUER (PITCHING); LEFEBVRE BATTED
FOR BUCKNER; Lefebvre grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 2 H,
0 E, 2 LOB.  Braves 9, Dodgers 6.

BRAVES 9TH: RUSSELL STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING RF); PENA REPLACED
LEFEBVRE (PITCHING); Williams struck out; Evans popped to third
in foul territory; Jackson grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R,
0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Braves 9, Dodgers 6.

DODGERS 9TH: GARRIDO REPLACED EVANS (PLAYING 3B); Davis grounded
out (shortstop to first); Allen walked; GRABARKEWITZ BATTED FOR
CRAWFORD; Grabarkewitz made an out to first; Parker struck out;
0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Braves 9, Dodgers 6.