The Braves ran into the exact problem that has shadowed their postseason pitching plan: there just aren’t many traditional starters left to lean on.
That was on full display in Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the Dodgers in Game 1 of the NL Division Series. Atlanta opened with Dylan Dodd, who gave the Braves three scoreless innings, but the bullpen couldn’t hold the line once the game moved deeper.
Victor Mederos entered after Dodd and immediately saw Teoscar Hernández launch a two-run homer. Later, Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy added solo shots off AJ Smith-Shawver in the sixth, and the Dodgers took control.
The Braves got through the best-of-three NL Wild Card Series by using two starters normally and a reliever to begin the third game. But after this opener, the lack of depth is impossible to ignore.
Bryce Elder, sidelined by a right knee issue, and Martín Pérez, out with a sore back, were both unavailable for this round. That leaves Chris Sale and, potentially, Tyler Mahle as the only pitchers on Atlanta’s NLDS roster who might make a conventional start the rest of the way.
Sale could be part of the answer in Sunday’s Game 2. Still, his usage tells the story all by itself: he started Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, came out of the bullpen two days later, and might be asked to start again three days after that relief outing.
Dodd’s outing followed the path set by Ray Kerr, who worked 3 1/3 scoreless innings in Thursday’s Game 3 win over Philadelphia. But Atlanta’s patchwork approach is being asked to do a lot, and the Dodgers made sure the margin for error stayed tiny.
Tarik Skubal, making his first postseason start for the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers, didn’t give the Braves much room to breathe. The two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner allowed just two hits and one run over six innings. Drake Baldwin opened the game with a leadoff single, then Skubal retired 15 straight before Sean Murphy broke through with a solo homer in the sixth.
Atlanta had to hope the bullpen game would buy enough time. Instead, the opener only sharpened the concern that has been hanging over this series from the start.
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 🡒]