The Braves look to bounce back and regain control of the NL Championship Series against the Dodgers following their embarrassing loss last night. In yesterday’s game (game 3 of the series), Los Angeles demolished Atlanta 15-3 , scoring 11 first-inning runs, a postseason first inning record. In that inning, they hit three home runs and had nine consecutive runners get on base with two outs.
The game will be played tonight at 8:08 p.m. ET at the new Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Despite it being a neutral site, the Braves will be home. The Dodgers look to tie the series at 2-2 with their ace Clayton Kershaw on the bump. Bryse Wilson is expected to start for the Braves.
Starting Pitching: Kershaw vs. Wilson
This season, Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw went 6-2 with a 2.16 ERA in 10 regular season starts. Kershaw was a late scratch from Tuesday’s game two due to back spasms. Now, he returns to the mound in hopes to continue his impressive postseason. Kershaw is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA (14 IP, 3 ER) and has tallied 19 strikeouts in the playoffs so far, much better than some of his past playoff performances.
- Last start (Oct. 7): Win, 6 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 6 K vs. San Diego Padres in Game 2 of the NLDS
- Career vs. Atlanta in the regular season: 5-0, 1.78 ERA (75 ⅔ IP, 15 ER) in 11 starts
- Career vs. Atlanta in playoffs: 2-0, 0.43 ERA (21 IP, 1 ER) in 3 starts
- Career postseason: 11-11, 4.23 ERA (172 1/3 IP, 81 ER) in 27 starts and 7 relief appearances
Atlanta’s rookie Bryse Wilson went 1-0 with a 4.02 ERA (15 ⅔ IP, 7 ER) in six regular-season games this year, 2 of those being starts. This will be Wilson’s first career postseason start and appearance.
- Last start (Sept. 27): No-decision, 3 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 K vs. Boston Red Sox, Braves lost 9-1
- Career vs. Los Angeles: 0 appearances
Dodgers vs. Braves Betting Info
Moneyline: LAD: (-235) | ATL: (+200)
Spread: LAD: -1.5 (-142) | ATL: +1.5 (+120)
Total: 9 – Over: (-115) | Under: (-105)
NLCS Winner: LAD: (-110) | ATL: (-110)
World Series Odds: LAD: (+240) | ATL: (+240)
Dodgers vs Braves Predictions:
I am confident in Los Angeles’s ability to even the series up at 2-2. Their bats are scorching hot after last night’s game, and future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw is taking the mound for the Dodgers, still one of the best pitchers in baseball. Another bet I like in tonight’s game is the over. Despite the tough outing from the Braves yesterday, they have been solid offensively all year. If they are able to get a couple of runs off Kershaw, they should be able to get some more runs against LA’s bullpen. On the other hand, I expect the Dodgers to dominate offensively again. With one of the best offensive lineups in baseball and coming off a 15 run performance last night, I expect the game total to get over nine.
