The Braves are changing things up again, and this time the goal is simple: get one win, force a Game 5, and head to Los Angeles tied in the NLDS.
Walt Weiss rolled out another new batting order for the must-win matchup, with Michael Harris II leading off for Atlanta. Ronald Acuña Jr. slots in behind him after returning to right field; he had been switched to DH late because of reports of a sore knee. Matt Olson stays in the third spot, while Ozzie Albies moves into the cleanup role.
Drake Baldwin, who had been higher in the order, drops to fifth and will serve as the designated hitter. Mike Yastrzemski starts in left field, Mauricio Dubón is at shortstop, Austin Riley remains at third base and is batting eighth, and Sean Murphy is behind the plate for Tyler Mahle and hitting ninth.
On the other side, Dave Roberts is leaning hard into alternating-handedness with the Dodgers’ lineup. Mookie Betts stays at the top and continues at shortstop, while Freddie Freeman moves up from third to second after homering twice off starter Tyler Mahle. Will Smith bats third and catches for Tyler Glasnow.
Shohei Ohtani’s brief run at fifth is over; he’s back in the cleanup spot. Teoscar Hernández follows him in left field and at fifth, with Max Muncy next at third base. The bottom of the order is Kiké Hernández at second, Kyle Tucker in right, and Andy Pages in center.
BravesVision’s Brandon Gaudin will be on the call tonight in place of Joe Davis, according to The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch.
Atlanta has already shown it can answer the bell under pressure, most recently in last week’s Game 3 win to eliminate the Philadelphia Phillies. Now the question is whether this version of the lineup can deliver again and keep the season alive.
In Other News...
Braves Are Suddenly One Loss From A Brutal Dodgers Exit
The Braves had chances early, but they could not cash in against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and that left them chasing the game for most of the night in a 3-1 loss to the Dodgers in Game 2 of the National League Division Series. Chris Sale gave Atlanta five innings and allowed three runs, but the combination of missed opportunities and a dominant outing from Yamamoto, who struck out 10 over seven innings, tilted the series back in Los Angeles favor.
Now Atlanta heads into Game 4 facing elimination, with Tyler Mahle expected to take the ball as the margin for error disappears. The Braves have already put themselves in a difficult spot by dropping behind 2-1, and the next game will ask them to do what they have not done enough of so far in the series: turn early traffic on the bases into the kind of breakthrough inning that can keep their postseason alive. [Read more 🡒]
Braves May Have Exposed A Costly Dodgers NLDS Problem
Miguel Rojas night in Game 3 of the NLDS ended early, and it added another layer of uncertainty to a Dodgers lineup already trying to keep pace with the Braves. Los Angeles said the veteran infielder was taken out because of low back pain after fouling a pitch in the eighth inning, with the issue apparently dating back to an earlier play when he was fielding a ground ball in the fifth.
For Atlanta, any hit to the Dodgers infield depth is the kind of opening a postseason opponent watches closely. Rojas has long been valued for the steadiness he brings on defense and the flexibility he gives Los Angeles, so the bigger concern now is not just whether he can finish the series, but whether the Dodgers have to rethink how they manage the rest of their postseason roster if the back issue lingers. [Read more 🡒]
Freddie Freeman Just Reopened An Uncomfortable Debate For Braves Fans
Freddie Freeman has been through enough playoff nights in Atlanta to know what to expect, and Game 3 brought the familiar mix of memory and emotion back into the building. The former Braves first baseman, who spent 12 years in Atlanta before becoming a Dodger, delivered a solo homer in the fourth inning to help Los Angeles to a win and a 2-1 series lead, all while taking the boos from a crowd that once adored him.
Freeman said the reception did not bother him and expressed appreciation for his old team, while Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pointed out that the reaction came with respect attached. For Braves fans, though, every meeting with Freeman seems to reopen the same uncomfortable question, because the cheers that once followed him now live somewhere alongside the reminders of what Atlanta lost when he left. [Read more 🡒]