Last year the Atlanta Braves had a 3-1 lead in the NLCS before losing three straight games to the Los Angeles Dodgers and end their season. If they go on to lose this series after having a 2-0 lead, they will look back to the eighth inning of Game 3 when they blew a 5-2 lead.
The Dodgers look to even the series and secure a return to Atlanta in Wednesday’s Game 4 with the first pitch at 8:08 p.m. ET at Dodger Stadium on TBS.
The Dodgers will send 20-game winner Julio Urias to the mound on Wednesday night while the Braves have not yet announced a starter. The first two games of the series went to the Braves via walk-off hits before the Dodgers rallied for the Game 3 win.
Los Angeles scored four times in the eighth inning with a game-tying 3-run homer by Cody Bellinger and a go-ahead double from Mookie Betts.
Rare Braves Bullpen Letdown
The Braves bullpen had been fantastic, allowing just two runs in 11 innings before the fateful eighth on Tuesday. Seven different pitchers allowed just four hits and struck out 14 before Luke Jackson let the lead slip away in Game 3. Only Jackson and Tyler Matzek have allowed runs out of the Atlanta bullpen in the series.
The Braves won the first two games in the series despite 2020 NL MVP Freddie Freeman going 0-for-8 with seven strikeouts. Freeman got going on Tuesday with three singles and a walk and will look to carry that success into Game 4.
With Freeman struggling early in the series, Joc Pederson and Eddie Rosario carried the offense with a combined ten hits and five RBI. Austin Riley won the first game with a walk-off hit, and Rosario delivered the same in Game 2.
The starting pitcher decision will be an interesting one for manager Brian Snitker. Charlie Morton, Max Fried, and Ian Anderson have started all seven playoff games thus far, but it looks like the Braves will have a bullpen game on Wednesday night.
Bellinger, Betts Save Dodgers Season
Before the eighth inning on Tuesday, the Dodgers were uncharacteristically quiet, with runners on base in the series. In the first 24 innings of the series, they drew 15 walks but brought just three of those runners around to score.
In Game 3, they scored twice in the first inning but went hitless with runners in scoring position until the eighth inning. Bellinger’s home run snapped a 1-for-20 run with RISP for the Dodgers, and Betts delivered the double to cap the comeback.
Urias threw twice in the NLDS with one start, and overall he allowed two runs on six hits over nine innings while striking out 10. He entered Game 2 in Atlanta in the eighth inning and gave up two runs on three hits in a blown save as the Dodgers lost 5-4.
Betting Analysis
- Atlanta Braves +1.5 run line (-120). +175 money line
- Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 run line (+100). -210 money line
- Total Runs 8 runs. Over -115, under -105
This series has been super competitive, with all three games decided by one run. Both managers have shown quick hooks on starting pitchers and reliability in the bullpen. Clutch hitting has delivered on both sides thus far, and there’s no reason this game won’t come down to the final three outs yet again.
Betting Pick: Braves +1.5 run line (-120)
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