Tarik Skubal gave Los Angeles six strong innings while three Dodgers homered. Blake Snell will start Sunday as Atlanta tries to avoid falling behind 2-0.
The Los Angeles Dodgers opened the NLDS with a 5-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday at Dodger Stadium. Tarik Skubal delivered six strong innings in his first postseason start since joining Los Angeles. The Dodgers now enter Game 2 with a chance to take firm control of the best-of-five series.
Skubal allowed one run on two hits and struck out seven. He retired 15 straight hitters during one stretch. Atlanta had little success against him before finally creating more pressure against the Dodgers bullpen.
Teoscar Hernández broke a scoreless tie with a two-run homer in the fourth inning. Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy added home runs in the sixth as Los Angeles built a 5-1 lead. The three homers gave the Dodgers enough offense to withstand Atlanta’s late rally.
The Braves made the final innings interesting with home runs from Sean Murphy and Ozzie Albies.
Atlanta had opened the game with Dylan Dodd and received three scoreless innings from him. The bullpen could not keep Los Angeles quiet after that point. Evan Phillips eventually stopped the Braves in the ninth and finished the victory for the Dodgers.
Los Angeles will turn to Blake Snell for Game 2 on Sunday. Snell was limited to nine regular-season starts because of shoulder trouble and elbow surgery. He also dealt with left groin tightness late in the season but enters the postseason healthy enough to start.
Atlanta had not announced its Game 2 starter as of Saturday night. Chris Sale remains one possibility after throwing 95 pitches Tuesday and another 21 pitches Thursday against Philadelphia. Grant Holmes and rookie JR Ritchie are other possible options if Atlanta decides Sale needs more rest.
Game 2 carries major pressure for the Braves because teams that take a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five series have won the series 89 percent of the time.
One matchup to watch is Snell against Sean Murphy. Murphy already has a double and a home run this postseason and has hit Snell well in limited career meetings. Atlanta also expects Lane Thomas to return to the starting lineup after recovering from an intercostal injury.
The Dodgers should have a rested bullpen available behind Snell. Los Angeles used four relievers Saturday but none threw more than 15 pitches. That gives manager Dave Roberts several options if Snell cannot work deep into the game.
Game 2 begins Sunday at 8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT at Dodger Stadium. FS1 will carry the game with additional coverage on FOX Deportes and FOX One. The series then moves to Atlanta for Game 3 at Truist Park on Tuesday.
A Dodgers victory would put Atlanta one loss from elimination before the series reaches Georgia. A Braves win would turn the matchup into a best-of-three series with Atlanta gaining home field for the next two games. That makes Sunday’s pitching decisions and early scoring chances especially important.
IMAGE: Tarik Skubal. Photo: Jeffrey Hyde from Bryan, TX, United States / Wikimedia, taken 2024-08-18, CC BY-SA 2.0