Dodgers Power Past Braves For Third Consecutive Trip to the NLCS
Monday, the Dodgers powered past the Atlanta Braves, and are set to face the Milwaukee Brewers in their third consecutive trip to the NLCS.
Well baseball fans, the Dodgers did it. They went from being in second place to win the National League division series in the span of about two weeks. Many thought they could do it, but at the end of the day, we can’t predict this game. With hard work, talent, and one of the strongest fan bases in baseball behind them, the Dodgers needed four games to beat the Atlanta Braves in a best of five series.
For the Dodgers, this series was built upon starting pitching. The bullpen only gave up one run during the entire series; a home run to Freddie Freeman, given up by former Brave, Alex Wood. Walker Buehler had a rough outing on Sunday but looks to bounce back against the Brewers as the Dodgers head north to Wisconsin.
Now, after a series-win sized celebration, the Dodgers fly to Milwaukee but, before we look forward to a series sure to be a great one, let’s look back at the four games of this NLDS.
GAME ONE:
MIKE FOLTYNEWICZ VS. HYUN-JIN RYU; FINAL SCORE: 6-0 LAD
The Dodgers, Joc Pederson specifically, wasted no time in this series, as Pederson led off with a solo home run. Mike Foltynewicz had a rough outing, giving up four runs and three walks in two innings. The Atlanta bullpen came on in the third, giving up only two runs (one earned) in the six innings that followed.
WHAT WENT RIGHT:
Though the Braves lost this game, they still got a good taste of postseason baseball for the first time in five years. No runs were driven in by Atlanta, but everyone in the 3-8 spots in their lineup got a hit, including former Dodger Charlie Culberson. In a best of five series, the first game is big. Not only does it start off your series on the right foot, but it also shows you can beat the team you’re facing before it’s too late.
The Dodgers had a lot more go right for them, simply because of who they had on the mound. Hyun-Jin Ryu doesn’t lose at Dodger Stadium. His ERA going into that game was 1.15 at home. He is virtually unhittable at Chavez Ravine, and the Dodgers could be relying on that come the NLCS.
Joc Pederson was another great storyline in that game. He’s hit 8 leadoff homers in 2018 and has been the Dodgers’ consistent leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching.
WHAT WENT WRONG:
This game could have looked a lot different if Mike Foltynewicz had a stronger outing. The Braves bullpen was pretty solid, and with his three walks in two innings, it gave the Dodgers plenty of opportunities to score the runs that they inevitably did.
In addition to pitching, the Braves scored zero runs on six hits. They struggled against Ryu, but shook off the loss, ready to try and bounce back in Game Two.
GAME TWO:
CLAYTON KERSHAW VS. ANÍBAL SÁNCHEZ; FINAL SCORE: 3-0 LAD
Game two was a lot like the one that preceded it. The Dodgers scored early, and the Braves couldn’t catch up. They faced an uphill battle, facing Clayton Kershaw, who had the best postseason outing of his career. Aníbal Sánchez pitched well, but could not contain the Dodger offense.
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WHAT WENT RIGHT:
It seemed Aníbal Sanchez was always the guy the Braves were going to send to the mound in this game, and though he didn’t have an amazing outing, he still pitched pretty well. Going 4 and 2/3 innings, he gave up three runs, all of them earned, on two home runs. Giving up three runs in the postseason is not the best, but it’s still a small enough margin for your team to bounce back. The Braves didn’t, for a couple of reasons. One of them is that they weren’t hitting and the other was due to who they were facing; Clayton Kershaw.
In Game 2, Clayton Kershaw gave the best postseason pitching performance of his career. In eight innings, he allowed two hits, no walks, no runs, and struck out three. The game lasted just over two and a half hours (probably the shortest contest we’ll see this postseason) and Kershaw worked fast. Thanks to pop flies and line drive outs, he needed only 87 pitches to silence the Braves lineup.
WHAT WENT WRONG:
For the second night in a row, the Braves’ bats were quiet. Sure, you could say that was due to the ace-like pitching of Ryu and Kershaw, but one thing that is certain about any given team in October is this; you are going to be facing their best pitchers. The Braves, however, are capable of getting hits against pitchers like Kershaw. They could have hit a homer or two, but they didn’t, and we probably won’t ever know why.
Luckily, things were looking up for the Braves, if even just for one day.
GAME THREE:
WALKER BUEHLER VS. SEAN NEWCOMB: FINAL SCORE 6-5 ATL
Of the four games in this series, this was probably the most stressful one, on both sides. Walker Buehler was set to continue his dominance as the series shifted to Atlanta. The first inning instilled more confidence in an already faithful Dodgers’ fan base, but the second inning was a wild ride nobody was prepared for. Likely Rookie of the Year for the National League, Ronald Acuña Jr stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and hit the ball far into the night. With a five-run lead, and the powerful bat of Freddie Freeman in their lineup, the Braves were looking pretty good, but their bullpen was not as stable as fans had hoped. The Dodgers stormed back to tie the game in fifth inning, but in the bottom half of the sixth, former Brave Alex Wood gave up a home run to Freeman, giving the Braves the lead and, eventually, the victory.
WHAT WENT RIGHT:
For the first time in 19 innings, the Braves scored. They scored more runs in one inning than they did in the two that preceded it and the one that followed. They shook the elite force that is Walker Buehler, even if just for a single inning. They powered themselves to within one game of tieing the series.
The Dodgers, however, did a great job bouncing back after that five-run second. They proved that they can overcome early deficits, even if the game ended in defeat.
WHAT WENT WRONG:
This one is pretty simple; the bottom of the second inning. Walker Buehler gave up five runs by walking the pitcher with the bases loaded and then serving up a grand slam. This doesn’t mean we should worry about Buehler, however. We have seen him succeed far more than we have seen him struggle. He went on to pitch three scoreless frames after that grand slam and was still able to strike out seven. Buehler is a future ace and is one of the strongest pitchers on a team headed to the NLCS
But the series wasn’t over yet.
GAME FOUR:
RICH HILL VS. MIKE FOLTYNEWICZ: FINAL SCORE 6-2 LAD; LA WINS SERIES 3-1
After giving up the lead in the fourth inning of this game, making the score 2-1, legendary postseason hitter David Freese, now a Dodger, hit a go-ahead 2-run single, giving the Dodgers a lead they would not release. Manny Machado, who knocked in the first run with a triple in the first inning, hit a 3-run shot, all but winning the series for the Dodgers.
WHAT WENT RIGHT:
Scoring first in October is huge. Machado got the scoring started. Braves pinch-hitter Kurt Suzuki singled, scoring two, but the Dodgers regained the lead. Everything was going right for the Dodgers in Game Four, it usually has to for a team to clinch, and on the road nonetheless. That said, the Braves played some amazing baseball this series, and are on the fast track to another division title next season.
WHAT’S NEXT?
What’s next is the NLCS, which begins Friday at Miller Park in Milwaukee. The Brewers swept the Rockies in their NLDS and proved yet again how elite their bullpen is. The Dodgers enter this series with players like Manny Machado, Max Muncy, and Clayton Kershaw getting hot at just the right time.
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You can watch Game 1 on Friday at 8:09 pm EST on FS1.