The Atlanta Braves announced their NLDS roster with Dylan Dodd set to open Game 1 against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday in Los Angeles. Atlanta will use a bullpen game approach after the demands of the wild-card series.
Ace Chris Sale threw 6 1/3 innings in Tuesday’s opener against Philadelphia, then returned Thursday to close out Game 3 with four relief innings, according to MLB Trade Rumors. Manager Walt Weiss turned to Dodd for Game 1 against Tarik Skubal and the defending two-time World Series champion Dodgers.
The Braves NLDS roster changes
The Braves made three changes to the roster that beat Philadelphia 6-2 in Game 3. Right-handers AJ Smith-Shawver and JR Ritchie joined the roster, as did outfielder Lane Thomas. This trio replaced Dominic Smith, DaShawn Keirsey Jr., and Luke Williams, bringing Atlanta to 13 pitchers for the series against Los Angeles, according to the Miami Herald.
Thomas has been on the injured list since Sept. 8 with a strained intercostal muscle. Smith and Keirsey are left-handed bats who could have been redundant against Dodgers left-handers like Tarik Skubal and Blake Snell.
How Atlanta will use the bullpen
Ray Kerr started the wild-card clincher with 3 1/3 scoreless innings, followed by Grant Holmes, Robert Suarez, Didier Fuentes, Dodd and Sale. The Braves’ 13-pitcher roster gives Weiss the depth to sustain a bullpen-heavy approach against Los Angeles while preserving Sale for later rounds.
Game 1 is Saturday at 4 p.m. ET in Los Angeles. The Dodgers will counter with Tarik Skubal as their starter. Blake Snell is slated to start Game 2.
Reporting from MLB Trade Rumors, Miamiherald and theScore contributed to this story.
