The Dodgers pushed past the Braves 3-1 on Wednesday night and grabbed a 2-1 lead in the best-of-5 series, but Atlanta still left the game with something to build on. The Braves’ bullpen kept the door open, the offense never fully found its footing, and the next two games now decide everything.
Chris Sale got the start in a matchup that JonathanF had already framed as a clash between two of the league’s top three pitchers. Sale, a pitcher the writer called “a no doubt hall of famer,” was a little off. His command wasn’t at its sharpest, and the Dodgers did a good job of making him work.
On the other side, “Admiral” Yamamoto was every bit as difficult as advertised. When he’s locating the fastball, his splitter and curveball become almost impossible to handle.
That has been a major reason the Braves’ bats have been quiet in this series, along with Skubal. The message was simple: stop rolling over into grounders and start driving the ball in the air.
And, as Roger put it, score at least five runs.
Atlanta’s bullpen deserves plenty of credit. Dodd, Lee, Suter, and Iglesias combined to throw four scoreless innings while allowing just one hit.
That group, along with Kerr and Fuentes, has kept giving the Braves a chance. Even in both losses, Atlanta had the tying run at the plate when the game ended.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, got the kind of October production they seem built for from a few familiar names. Kike Hernandez, whose job is basically to hit postseason home runs, came through again.
He has been with Los Angeles since 2015, spent a couple of years in Boston, and has always been more of a regular-season role player than a star. In October, though, he keeps showing up.
Freddie Freeman did what he’s been doing to his former team all series, too. After hitting only one home run in the regular season after the All-Star break, he has already launched three in three games against the Braves, though Mauricio Dubon erased one with a terrific catch.
And no, there was not even a little part of the writer that felt good for Freeman, despite his long run as a major piece of the franchise. “No, there is not.”
Now Atlanta has to win two straight to reach the NLCS. Some may think that sounds impossible, but the math says otherwise.
If the Braves are given a 50% shot against each of Tyler Glasnow and Tariq Skubal, the odds come out to about one in four. Glasnow is a tough assignment, but the writer likes “our Tyler.”
Skubal is nasty, but the Braves have Ray Kerr. The choice, in the end, is to believe or to declare it over.
If the Dodgers finish the series, at least those who called it hopeless can say they were right. The other option is a lot more appealing: beating the odds and taking down the blue monster.
In Other News...
Ronald Acua Jr. Reopened Braves Drama Before A Huge Game 3
Ronald Acua Jr. added a fresh layer of intrigue around the Braves on the eve of Game 3 of the NLDS, using a Spanish-language podcast appearance to share his thoughts on the coaching staff. The comments centered on someone who is no longer with the team, and while Acua and his co-host stopped short of naming the person, the discussion was pointed enough to spark immediate speculation.
For Atlanta, the timing is what makes it stick. With a huge postseason game coming, the remarks have pulled attention back toward a familiar off-field storyline, even though the exact target of Acuas criticism still has not been confirmed. It is the kind of sidelight that can follow a team into October, especially when the baseball itself is about to matter even more. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Had To Change Their NLDS Plan Around Ronald Acua Jr
Ronald Acua Jr. was supposed to be part of the Braves Game 3 NLDS formula in the outfield, but the plan shifted as the series moved on. Lingering knee soreness from a slide in a previous game pushed Atlanta to make a late adjustment, moving Acua to designated hitter and reshaping the rest of the lineup around it.
Sean Murphy was scratched and Lane Thomas was added in right field, while the Braves kept their catching duties aligned behind Chris Sale by leaning on Drake Baldwin. Murphy still remains in the mix as a pinch-hitting option, a reminder that even in October, one nagging issue can force a team to redraw its blueprint on the fly. [Read more 🡒]
Braves-Dodgers Game 3 Just Took Two Unexpected Turns
The NL Division Series shifts to Atlanta with the stakes even again, and the broadcast booth is getting an unusual late change before first pitch. Joe Davis will not call Game 3 between the Dodgers and Braves because he lost his voice, so Kenny Albert is stepping in for the national telecast as the series heads to Tuesdays 6:00 ET matchup.
The on-field wrinkle is just as notable for a Braves team trying to seize control at home. Los Angeles is also altering its order, moving Shohei Ohtani into the fifth spot against Chris Sale, a move that adds another layer to a game already carrying plenty of pressure with the series knotted at 1-1. [Read more 🡒]