Sitting at 5-6, no one is hitting the panic button for the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves but it’s evident that they’ve gotten off to a slow start. While questions about the bottom half of the lineup and a few other concerns have emerged, all of that can be washed away by the waves of the Pacific Ocean if Atlanta picks up a series win over a familiar face in more ways than one—the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Winners of six in a row, the Dodgers haven’t done anything to quell expectations after entering the season as the favorites in the National League. The Braves have been underdogs facing the Dodgers before, and if they can take care of business like they did in the 2021 NLCS, Atlanta can quickly reestablish themselves in the conversation atop the NL.
It’s the elephant in the room, so I’ll go ahead and mention it now. Freddie Freeman will be in the opposing dugout tonight after signing with his hometown Dodgers in the offseason. There will be a flurry of emotions for Freeman as well as many players in the Braves clubhouse, but they’ll have to put those aside and focus on the task at hand. Tonight for Atlanta, Huascar Ynoa will be tasked with ensuring Freeman’s first home run as a Dodger doesn’t come against his former team.
While Freeman is hitting .324 for the Dodgers, the good news for the Braves is that their new first baseman, Matt Olson, has seamlessly entered the lineup and leads MLB in hits with 16. The bad news for the Braves is that the rest of the lineup, outside of Marcell Ozuna, isn’t producing at nearly the same level. Other than an Ozuna solo-HR, the Braves bats were silent in Sunday night's 2-1 loss to the Padres.
If the Braves hope to beat the Dodgers, they’ll need noted Dodger-killer Eddie Rosario to rediscover his NLCS MVP form. The recipient of a 2-year deal in the offseason thanks to what he did against LA in the postseason, Rosario is 1-29 at the plate and has been a liability in the outfield. SS Dansby Swanson is tied for the league lead with 18 strikeouts and DH Alex Dickerson is batting .050 in his first season with Atlanta.
Clayton Kershaw will get the start for Dodgers tonight while Braves ace Max Fried will throw tomorrow night. At 0-2, Fried has gotten hit early in both starts and needs a strong outing in game two for the Braves to snag this series.
First pitch in game one tonight is set for 10:10 out west.
Regardless of what happens in the next few days, the best news coming out of the Braves organization may be the fact that Ronald Acuna Jr. will begin his rehab assignment in AA Tuesday with a target return date in early May.
