The Los Angeles Dodgers lead the NLDS 1-0 against the Atlanta Braves and have a chance to finish defending home field.
The Dodgers will avoid Chris Sale, the Braves’ ace, who has dominated the Dodgers and remains a high-caliber starter at an advantageous age.
Instead, the Braves will go with a bullpen game against the Dodgers for a second straight, this time with lefty Ray Kerr as the opener.
Dodgers Lineup
1. Mookie Betts, SS
2. Shohei Ohtani, DH
3. Will Smith, C
4. Freddie Freeman, 1B
5. Teoscar Hernández, LF
6. Kyle Tucker, RF
7. Andy Pages, CF
8. Miguel Rojas, 3B
9. Tommy Edman, 2B
The big change is that Max Muncy is out of the lineup and missing Game 2, with a left-handed starter in the lineup. Rojas has destroyed righties this year and is being used as a platoon bat.
Other than swapping Muncy, the Dodgers keep the exact same batting order.
Muncy hit a clutch home run for the Dodgers in Game 1, giving them a 5-1 lead over the Braves and some extra wiggle room.
Rojas is a defensive upgrade, but Muncy should get some pinch-hit opportunities if the Dodgers are trailing.
Who is starting for the Dodgers?
The Dodgers have Blake Snell toting the mound, going with a second straight left-handed pitcher against a Braves team that struggles against southpaws.
Snell spent most of the year on the injured list, pitching just 42.2 innings, but in his limited sample, the two-time Cy Young Award winner has been amazing.
He has a 1.90 ERA with 55 strikeouts, and against an aggressive Braves team, he should get plenty of whiffs and strikeouts if his command doesn’t let him down.
Snell left his penultimate start of the season with a groin injury, but he finished his last start relatively well.
With Skubal having such a good outing on Saturday, Snell will like to one-up his “brother.”
