Get this: The No. 2 seed Dodgers are kicking off the NLDS against the No. 3 seed Braves with a pitching matchup so ridiculously lopsided, you almost feel bad for Atlanta. The reigning back-to-back champs are trotting out Tarik Skubal, their ace number 29, at Dodger Stadium for Game 1. Meanwhile, the Braves? They’re stuck piecing together 27 outs from their bullpen, a move born purely out of desperation because they’ve got zero reliable starting options.
Atlanta’s Left-Handed Nightmare Just Got Real
This isn’t some strategic bullpen game for the Braves, it’s a “we got nothing” situation, and it plays right into the Dodgers’ hands. Atlanta’s offense has been straight-up bad against lefties all year, rocking a measly 91 wRC+. And if that wasn’t enough, their road performance is even worse, with an 89 team wRC+. We just saw glimpses of this mess in the Wild Card round: Jesús Luzardo carved them up, giving up just one run in five innings, and Cristopher Sánchez held them to one run through six innings before getting gassed in the seventh. Now they get Skubal, a lefty, in his house. It’s a perfect storm brewing for L.A.
The Champs Aren’t Messing Around
The Dodgers, with all the pressure of ridiculously high expectations, aren’t shying away from this advantage. They even had the luxury to sit out their last postseason hero, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, for this Game 1 start. This isn’t just heavy favoritism, it’s a strategic blow. For a team that just earned the No. 2 seed by beating the Braves head-to-head, they know how to capitalize. Dodger fans, they know the drill, especially about Don Mattingly leaving starters in too long during the postseason. But with Skubal dominating, and Atlanta having no answers, you gotta think they’re feeling pretty good about Game 1 setting the tone.
This whole scenario is about as favorable as it gets for the back-to-back champs to open their postseason run. Game 1 kicks off at 1 p.m. at Dodger Stadium. After this one, the Dodgers will be gearing up to face Chris Sale on Monday. You know they want to come out swinging and make a statement right off the bat.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
Leave a Reply