Tarik Skubal did exactly what you’d expect from baseball’s most talented pitcher in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, and the Dodgers still out-homered the Braves three to two. It was a scorching-hot day in Los Angeles, and the Dodgers bagged a critical win, not through a massive blowout, but by simply living up to the well-known facts about their superior offense. Kyle Tucker, hopefully on his redemption tour, even got a homer in his first postseason affair for the Dodgers.
Dodgers Offense Flexes, But Keeps It Close Until It Matters
Through the middle of the sixth inning, this wasn’t some dominating performance, with the Dodgers holding onto just a one-run lead. Atlanta’s Sean Murphy actually delivered the Braves’ first and only blow to Skubal, a solo shot that briefly made things interesting. The Braves even generated some action in that inning, but Skubal, ever the professional, stranded a pair of runners and helped the Dodgers maintain the lead. Their entire offense in the first half of the game came from Teoscar Hernández’s two-run shot in the fourth, punishing a mistake-breaking ball. It almost felt like the Dodgers hitters were playing down to their competition.
Jets On: Late-Game Cushion and a Ninth Inning Scare
The game got dangerously close after Murphy’s homer and Skubal’s subsequent trouble. That’s when the Dodgers flipped a switch, turning on the jets in the bottom of the sixth and dropping a pair of homers. This gave them the cushion they needed, because the ninth inning? Oh boy, it got spicy. Tanner Scott ran into trouble, giving up a two-run bomb to Ozzie Albies. Manager Dave Roberts, clearly not with unwavering trust in Scott, didn’t even wait to see if he could finish, bringing in Evan Phillips for the final out. Under normal circumstances, you’d give an elite closer more faith than pulling him after one bad pitch, but it’s not a one-off. The final score settled at 5-3. The feeling is, Atlanta played as well as they possibly could against a dialed-in Skubal, save for one shaky inning, and it still wasn’t enough. Mookie Betts got on base a couple of times, but it was Hernández and the bottom of the order really getting it done for Los Angeles.
Game 2 is coming up, and what’s at stake is huge. If the Braves can’t figure out how to overcome a Dodgers team that can win close and then turn on the power whenever they need to, this Division Series could be over faster than Atlanta fans want to think about.
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.
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