Braves Look to Keep Dodgers at Bay in 2020 NLCS
The 2020 NLCS has not gone as many of the pundits have planned. The Atlanta Braves continue to author the story of the National League playoffs. The team has moved two victories away from a spot in the World Series. The pitching staff did falter late and their ability to completely dictate the terms started to falter a bit.
TIME: 6:05 p.m. ET. TV: FS1; BETTING LINE: Dodgers -178 / TOTAL 9.5 O -125
The Braves delivered dominating pitching until the ninth inning on Tuesday night. They still held on for a big win. The team also showed a relentless offensive approach in defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-7 on Tuesday. Atlanta took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series.
Dodgers Make Late Statement Against Braves Pen
There did appear to be a late-game momentum shift after the Braves went with some lesser names out of their stellar bullpen. The Dodgers were down 7-0 in the seventh inning and made the contest a nail-biter.
Corey Seager hit a three-run home run in the seventh and then added an RBI double in the ninth. Max Muncy two-run home run to inch the Dodgers even closer.
Cody Bellinger got the Dodgers to within a run on an RBI triple and represented the tying run at third base. A.J. Pollock grounded out against Braves closer Mark Melancon to end the game.
Braves Pitching Has Proven to be Solid in 2020 NLCS
The 2020 NLCS has been dictated by the first 17 innings of the opening two games. Atlanta has outscored Los Angeles 12-4 over that span. The Braves have gone 7-0 in the expanded 16-team playoffs. The key is they have taken the early lead in all seven games and pitched well afterwards. Now they need to make sure that one bad inning doesn’t make them lose focus heading into Game 3.
It was always expected to get a bit tricky after game two. Rookie right-hander Kyle Wright (2-4, 5.21 ERA in the regular season) takes the mound in Game 3 after pitching well in the NLDS. The Braves have not announced a probable starter for Game 4 and it could be a Johnny Wholestaff bullpen game.
The pitching might not matter if Atlanta keeps delivering the kind of offense it did Tuesday. N.L. MVP candidate Freddie Freeman hit a home run for the second straight game and had three RBI’s. Ozzie Albies also homered for a second day in a row and had three hits.
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This, That, and a Dart Throw
The Dodgers will try to slow down the Braves’ and move momentum to their side. Left-hander Julio Urias will take the mound in Game 3. He threw five sharp relief innings in Game 3 of the NLDS against the San Diego Padres. He gave up just one unearned run and earned the win as the Dodgers completed a sweep.
Urias was 3-0 with a 3.27 ERA in 11 appearances (10 starts) in the regular season. He has finally become a full-time starter in his fourth major league season.
Clayton Kershaw was forced to step aside from his Game 2 start because of back spasms. Urias now must get Los Angeles back on track. He could use support from an offense that scored just one run through the opening 15 innings of the series.
The series is starting to look as if it involves the top two offenses in baseball. The Dodgers led the majors with 349 runs and 118 home runs in the regular season. The Braves were right with them, finishing second with 348 runs and 103 home runs.
The teams each had a .483 slugging percentage to tie for the top spot. Atlanta had an .832 OPS. That was tops in the game to the Dodgers’ second-best mark of .821.
The Dart Throw: Braves 6, Dodgers 3
LA Dodgers vs Atlanta Braves Matchup
| Braves | Category | Dodgers |
| 48-18 | W/L | 41-25 |
| 25-10 | HOME | 23-11 |
| 23-8 | AWAY | 18-14 |
| 40-26 | ATS | 31-35 |
| 20-15 | ATS HOME | 15-19 |
| 20-11 | ATS AWAY | 16-16 |
| 29-30 | O/U | 33-28 |
| 13-17 | O/U HOME | 18-14 |
| 16-13 | O/U AWAY | 15-14 |
2020 NLCS Betting Odds & Trends
| Atlanta Braves |
|---|
| Atlanta is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games |
| Atlanta is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games |
| The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta’s last 7 games |
| Atlanta is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home |
| Atlanta is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing LA Dodgers |
| Atlanta is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing LA Dodgers |
| Atlanta is 8-16 SU in its last 24 games when playing LA Dodgers |
| Atlanta is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against LA Dodgers |
| Atlanta is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against LA Dodgers |
| Los Angeles Dodgers |
|---|
| LA Dodgers is 13-6 ATS in its last 19 games |
| LA Dodgers is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games |
| LA Dodgers is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road |
| LA Dodgers is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road |
| LA Dodgers is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta |
| LA Dodgers is 16-8 SU in its last 24 games when playing Atlanta |
| LA Dodgers is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta |
| LA Dodgers is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Atlanta |
| LA Dodgers is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Atlanta |
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