Offense Goes Off Again as Braves Dominate Dodgers 10-1
The Atlanta Braves stepped up again at the plate for the second straight night, taking care of the Dodgers with ease on Saturday
The Atlanta Braves dominated the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-1 in the second game of the series at Truist Park on Saturday.
Here’s what you need to know about the contest.
Chris Sale Seals the Deal for Cy Young
The Braves pitching has been fantastic so far in this series against the Dodgers. It’s no surprise that Chris Sale gave us another Cy Young performance. Is it safe to say he has that award in the bag? I think so.
He regained the lead for the most strikeouts in MLB and is on pace for the NL Triple Crown for pitchers. His final line was 6IP, 5H, 1ER, 2BB, 6Ks on 96P (57S). He had 12 whiffs with a 29% CSW.
Tonight, the entire pitching staff for Atlanta held the “‘Big Three” of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman to a combined 2 for 9 with two strikeouts and only one RBI.
The Offense Did It Again!
Two nights in a row!
The scoring was so often that it was hard to keep up with. What a great problem to have!
Matt Olson got things started for the Braves on Saturday night with a 1st-inning RBI double that hit off the outfield wall and out of reach of Mookie Betts. Olson finished the night 2 for 5 with an outstanding four RBI.
One of the biggest concerns getting Whit Merrifield back in the lineup was how well he would run, as he is dealing with a broken foot. It didn’t seem to be an issue in the second game of the series, as he hit a double in the second inning and showed no problem hustling for extra bases. He wasn’t done, however, finishing the night 3 for 4 with an RBI.
Arcia cleared the bases in the 3rd inning with a 3-RBI Double. The team got to Jack Flaherty early and often as he left the game early in favor of the bullpen.
Jorge Soler has continued to step up since the beginning of the series against the Washington Nationals. He is showing flashes of the player he was for the Braves in the magical 2021 run. I discussed earlier in the week how it’s crucial to get him to contribute more, and it looks like he got the message. For the second straight game, the Braves offense had life. It was an all around solid night for the Braves at the plate. Lets hope it continues into tomorrow on the national stage.
Waterfall effect for the rest of the series?
Did you expect to see a position player on the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight? How about in the seventh inning? The Dodgers did everything they possibly could to save their bullpen for the rest of the series, but they still used more than what they wanted on Saturday night.
The Braves pushed starter Jack Flaherty out of the game after only going three innings. It was his worst start since being traded over to Los Angeles from the Detroit Tigers at the MLB Trade Deadline.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was forced to burn three of his bullpen arms after the short stint from Flaherty, something that could turn into an issue with the next two scheduled starters not having much length on the mound over their last few appearances.
The last two games are a nice reminder that no matter how difficult this season has been with the injuries, the Atlanta Braves are going to be dangerous in the postseason if they find a way to make it happen.
What’s Next
The Braves move back into a tie for the final spot in the NL Wildcard race with the victory as the New York Mets fell earlier in the day against the Philadelphia Phillies. Atlanta will now go for the series win on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball tomorrow. Charlie Morton is scheduled to start for the Braves against Dodgers Walker Buehler.