The Los Angeles Dodgers (81-42) conclude their road trip with a potential playoff showdown against the Atlanta Braves (72-51). These two teams met in the NLDS last season where the Dodgers came out on top in 4 games. The Braves also experienced a beatdown in Los Angeles back in May by not only getting swept but being outscored 23-7. The Braves have the 2nd best record in National League and currently hold a 5.5 game lead over the Nationals in the NL East.
Let’s just start with the offense because both these teams are dynamite. Atlanta is 6th in baseball in runs scored, while the Dodgers are 4th. The Braves have hit 197 Home Runs, which is 2nd in the NL, but the Dodgers have more with an NL leading 211. Both teams are 7th and 8th in baseball for team batting average with the Braves leading .264 compared to .260. The Braves have also struck out 87 more times than the Dodgers.
Key hitters:
Freddie Freeman: 31 HR, 98 RBIs, 96 R, .311/.405 – Cody Bellinger: 40 HR, 93 RBIs, 96 R, .317/.416
Ronald Acuña Jr : 35 HR, 84 RBIs, 103 R, .298/.378 – Joc Pederson: 24 HR, 52 RBIs, 60 R, .236/.329
Josh Donaldson: 28 HR, 72 RBIs, 71 R, .265/.382 – Justin Turner: 21 HR, 56 RBIs, 70 R, .289/.372
Ozzie Albies: 18 HR, 66 RBIs, 78 R, .298/.352 – Max Muncy: 29 HR, 81 RBIs, 80 R, .259/.380
Pitching Probables:
Friday Aug. 16 4:20 PST
Kenta Maeda (8-8) 4.12 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 23 starts, 128 K’s vs
Mike Soroka (10-2) 2.32 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 21 starts, 103 K’s
Summary: Maeda is coming off his best start of the season by throwing 7 shutout innings vs Arizona. Soroka, the 22-year-old rookie, has the 2nd lowest ERA in baseball and the NL’s third-highest ground-ball percentage. If Maeda has full command of his slider then that’ll keep the Braves in check, who have a high K % vs that pitch. Soroka throws a 92-93 MPH sinker, along with a fastball, slider, and change.
Saturday Aug. 17 4:20 PST
Hyun-Jin Ryu (12-2) 1.45 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 22 starts, 121 K’s vs
Mike Foltynewicz (4-5) 6.24 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 13 starts, 64 K’s
Summary: Ryu has historically owned this team with a career 1.98 ERA over 4 starts, including a complete game shutout in a 9-0 win earlier this season and a dominant performance during Game 1 of the NLDS. On the flip side, Foltynewicz, who was the loser in that Game 1, has always struggled against the Dodgers with a 6.23 ERA over 3 starts.
Sunday Aug. 18 10:20 AM PST
TBD vs
Max Fried (14-4) 3.78 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 23 starts, 126 K’s
Summary: The Dodgers haven’t officially announced a starter for the Sunday game yet. We could be Dustin May make an appearance out of the bullpen, who notched his first career win against the Marlins. Fried is a good young lefty who is (5-1) with a 3.35 ERA over his last 7 starts. The Dodgers tore him up for 4 runs in the one inning he pitched earlier this year.
Final Thoughts and Prediction:
The Braves bullpen trade deadline acquisitions “ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE.” Chris Martin (not from Coldplay) L7 – 11.57 ERA, Mark Melancon L7 – 10.13 ERA, Shane Greene L7 – 11.81 ERA. LOL. I’m fully confident about Ryu taking care of the Braves once more, but I’m worried about the other 2 games since Maeda has been a disaster on the road (5.66 ERA), and the experienced Braves are poised to handle any rookie. To be modest, I will say the Dodgers finish this road trip with a 3-3 split, thus only winning 1 in Atlanta, but winning the season series 4-2.
Follow me on Twitter @Klein25. Host of The Incline: Dodgers Pod
photo credit: Getty Images