Lane Thomas is back in the Braves’ lineup for Game 2 of the NLDS, giving Atlanta a boost as it tries to even the series against the Dodgers Sunday night in Los Angeles.
Thomas had been out since Sept. 7 with a strained left intercostal muscle, which had left Atlanta without half of its usual left field platoon. He sat out Game 1 after rejoining the roster for the division series, but he’ll make his return Sunday at 8 p.m. on FS1. He’s hitting ninth and playing left field in his first game back.
Atlanta’s order has a few other moving parts. Sean Murphy won’t catch, but he remains in the lineup as the designated hitter and is batting seventh after homering Saturday.
Ozzie Albies, who has gone deep in each of the last two games, is in the cleanup spot behind Drake Baldwin, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson. Mauricio Dubón is back at shortstop in place of Ha-Seong Kim and will bat sixth.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, are keeping things mostly the same after Game 1. Their only tweak is at third base, where Miguel Rojas replaces Max Muncy and hits eighth. Muncy homered in Saturday’s win, stretching the lead to 5-1 in the sixth at the time.
The Braves’ NLDS roster has had limited success against Dodgers starter Blake Snell, going a combined 19-for-96 lifetime, a .198 clip. Albies is 4-for-12 against him and Murphy is 3-for-8, the only two hitters on the roster with averages above .286. Ronald Acuña Jr., Mauricio Dubón and Murphy have each homered off Snell, while Olson is 4-for-18 with two doubles and a team-high five RBIs despite the left-on-left matchup.
Overall, the Braves have struck out 34 times and walked 14 against Sale.
Los Angeles has far less history against Braves opener Ray Kerr. The Dodgers’ active players are just 1-for-10 against him in five relief appearances from his time with the Padres in 2022-23. Mookie Betts has the lone hit, a three-run double, and Dodgers hitters have actually drawn more walks than strikeouts against Kerr, two to one.
Still, that sample is small enough to mean little for Sunday’s game. Kerr threw 47 pitches Thursday and could be limited to as little as one inning.
The more relevant numbers may come against the arms likely to follow him. Dodgers hitters are 8-for-35 with two homers and five RBIs against right-hander Grant Holmes, while they have never faced Braves rookie right-hander JR Ritchie, another option to cover bulk innings in Game 2.
In Other News...
Braves Face A Massive Game 2 Decision After NLDS Opener
The Braves opened their NLDS against the Dodgers with a 5-3 loss, and the postgame discussion quickly turned from the scoreboard to how Atlanta manages what comes next. Walt Weiss spent much of his time talking through bullpen usage and the way the game unfolded, while also noting how difficult Los Angeles made things on offense with Tarik Skubal on the mound.
Now the attention shifts to Game 2, where Atlanta is staring at a significant pitching question with Chris Sales availability still unsettled. The Braves will need a sharper offensive night after struggling in the opener, but the bigger issue may be how Weiss pieces together the pitching plan if Sale is not available. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Fans Have Every Right To Question This October Pitching Call
Atlantas postseason pitching choices are under the microscope after Brian Snitker said the bullpen had been emptied in the previous game and that some arms were unavailable because of injury. The manager pointed to the idea of getting the relief group rested for the next night, which helps explain the roster management behind the move, but it does not make the decision feel any less consequential in the middle of October.
Chris Sale being available only sharpens the debate, because this was the kind of game where the Braves had every reason to lean on their best options rather than sort through lower-tier arms. Instead, they went in a direction that left plenty of room for second-guessing, and for a fan base used to thinking big in the postseason, that is exactly the kind of call that sticks. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Already Face A Bigger NLDS Problem Than The Game 1 Loss
The Braves left Dodger Stadium with a Game 1 loss, but the score may not have been the most concerning part of the night. Los Angeles got six innings of one-run ball from Tarik Skubal and three home runs from Teoscar Hernndez, Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy in a 5-3 win, all of it unfolding in near-record heat that made for a grinding October opener.
Sunday evening brings Game 2, and Atlanta now has to answer more than just the immediate damage on the scoreboard. The bigger concern is whether the Braves can settle in quickly enough against a Dodgers team that already looked comfortable, while also coping with conditions that made every inning feel heavier than usual. [Read more 🡒]