Braves vs Dodgers Game 2 is Sunday night at Dodger Stadium, and Atlanta is trying to avoid a 2-0 hole in the National League Division Series. First pitch is 8 p.m. ET on FS1. Los Angeles leads the best-of-five series 1-0 after a 5-3 win Saturday, according to ESPN.
How Game 1 played out
Tarik Skubal set the tone. The left-hander threw six innings in 100-degree heat and allowed one run on two hits, with seven strikeouts and two walks. The Dodgers got him a lead in the fourth, when Teoscar Hernández hit a two-run homer off reliever Victor Mederos after Dylan Dodd had worked three scoreless innings for Atlanta.
Atlanta answered late. Sean Murphy cut the gap to 2-1 with a leadoff homer in the sixth. Kyle Tucker answered with a two-run shot and Max Muncy added a solo homer two batters later to make it 5-1.
Ozzie Albies hit a two-run homer off Tanner Scott in the ninth, and Evan Phillips got the final out for the save. The Braves finished with four hits. A crowd of 50,194 watched.
Braves vs Dodgers Game 2: five things to know
- The starters. Los Angeles will send left-hander Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner. Atlanta had not announced a Game 2 starter.
- Season series. The Braves went 5-1 against the Dodgers in the regular season, including a three-game home sweep in late August, CBS Sports reported. “Once the playoffs begin, everybody starts at zero,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said.
- Atlanta’s rotation. Right-hander Bryce Elder (knee) and left-hander Martin Perez (back) remain out. Ace Chris Sale recorded the final four outs in the wild-card clincher against Philadelphia, so his usage is a question.
- Ohtani’s health. Shohei Ohtani returned from a biceps injury in the final week of the regular season. He batted second behind Mookie Betts in Game 1 and singled in the first inning.
- The heat. An extreme heat warning stayed in effect for Braves vs Dodgers Game 2 after the 100-degree first game, per AP.
Skubal and the late-season bats
Game 1 was Skubal’s first home postseason start. All of his earlier playoff starts came on the road for Detroit, which traded him to Los Angeles just before the Aug. 3 deadline. He went 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 10 starts for the Dodgers, CBS Sports reported. Skubal said he respected the fans who showed up in the heat: “It’s not easy. It’s 100 degrees.”
The homers also stood out because both Hernández and Tucker struggled for long stretches this year. Tucker had the worst regular season of his career after signing a four-year, $240 million deal. Hernández slumped through July and August before a swing change sparked a September turnaround.
What Atlanta needs
The Braves went 94-68 in the regular season. The Dodgers went 100-62 and were 51-30 at home. Atlanta beat Philadelphia in the wild-card round, with Michael Harris II hitting a three-run homer in the deciding game, but Game 1 showed how hard it is to score on this staff for long stretches.
Matt Olson hit a team-best 41 home runs this season. Harris had 26, Ronald Acuña Jr. added 20 homers and 21 steals, and catcher Drake Baldwin hit 25. Atlanta needs more than four hits from that group in Braves vs Dodgers Game 2.
For the Dodgers, the history is on the table. They are chasing a third straight World Series title, which no National League club has done. “Winning a World Series is already hard enough as it is,” Muncy said. A win in Braves vs Dodgers Game 2 puts them one victory from the NLCS.
Catch up with our Game 1 recap, check the Braves NLDS roster, or see the full Division Series rosters. More coverage is in our MLB section.
