Recap: Dodgers vs Braves – NLCS – Game 1

www.franchisesportsmedia.com

Dodgers (5-1)  |  Braves (6-0)

 

The Dodgers face the Atlanta Braves in the National League Championship Series.

 

In the first game of the National League Championship series, Walker Buehler faced Max Fried, and the two young pitchers looked to give their team a one-game lead. This series of consecutive games will test managers’ patience, baseball IQ, and team depth for both squads, so the first game could the most important one with this format.

 

Game 1 – Loss 1-5

 

Walker Buehler was on the bump for Game 1, hoping his blisters would be a thing of the past. He looked to silence one of the most potent lineups in the National League and stay out of the bullpen as long as possible with the consecutive games on the horizon.

The Atlanta Braves’ Freddie Freeman is one of the scariest left-handed batters in baseball, and he showed it by taking one of the best young pitchers in Walker Buehler deep to right in the first inning. The pitch was a dotted 97 mph fastball on the bottom left inside corner. Any pitcher in baseball and their manager would have been happy with that pitch, but Freeman reminded people why he is one of the best. Buehler cruised for the remained of the time but struggled with walks a little.

Kike Hernandez took Max Fried deep to left field on a breaking ball that completely changed the game’s energy and tied it all at the same time. The sound of actual fans cheering in the stadium on the blast was what made it feel like playoff baseball. Though imitated through the sound of fake crowd noise, the energy can never be duplicated, even at limited capacity. This was Kike’s seventh career postseason homer, and it could not have come at a better time. This was Fried’s first curveball in 328 breaking balls thrown to leave the park going back to September of 2019.

 

The playoffs are a place that at any given time a player can cement himself in history and be idolized by their fanbase for life. Kirk Gibson can attest to this.

 

Buehler got a visit from Dave Roberts in the top of the sixth after giving up back to back hits and throwing right at 100 pitches, Roberts would go to his ACE reliever in Brusdar Graterol and he would not disappoint. Graterol entered and got the outs needed on some gas and then a rocket back at him to end the inning, but not without giving his signature fist throw. Buehler’s performance should be commended, considering Ronald Acuna hit a grand slam off him last time they faced. The young flamethrower only gave up one run on the homer but recorded seven strikeouts with five walks on three hits through five innings.

Dustin May got the call from Roberts to keep this first game of the Championship Series close. The hard-throwing right-hander got through the seventh easily, but gave up a double to Marcel Ozuna in the eighth and seemed to have some control issues. He got a ground out to Justin Turner that saved a runner from moving with the third baseman’s heads up play to check Ozuna at second. May went on to strike out Ronald Acuna Jr. after pumping fastballs inside and then loaded the bases on an intentional walk and a hit by a pitch.

Roberts had seen enough and called upon Victor Gonzalez to get out of the jam and save May for another game. After all, no days off. Gonzalez entered the game with the bases loaded and two outs. With Charlie Culberson in the box, Gonzalez looked untouchable and struck him out with authority. He let out an audible roar while returning to his ecstatic dugout.

 

Blake Treinen made his fourth career postseason appearance in the ninth with a 1-1 score. Five pitches into the at-bat with Austin Riley, he left too much of the fastball over the plate, and Riley gave the Braves the lead with a ball that he drilled to left-center. Acuna Jr jumped on Treinen and hit one at the third that bounced around, and he rolled into second base.

Freeman had a loud out to dead center that gave every Dodgers fan a heart attack, Bellinger caught the ball on the wall, and Acuna Jr. tagged up. Ozuna belted another single to score Acuna, and then Ozzie Albies took the new pitcher McGee yard for a two-run shot on a ball middle-middle and put the game out of reach for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers hitting was absent all game, but if the bats are to wake up, the bottom of the ninth down four runs would be a great time. Max Muncy would try the Braves closer Melancon first and hit a ball sharply to Swanson for the first out. With only two outs remaining, the team needed to buckle down. Still, the ground ball pitcher got the Dodgers catcher Will Smith to do just that. Cody Bellinger would follow his fellow teammates after a battle and ground out to short with the last out of the evening.

 

 

The Dodgers need to keep their heads high and show up big in Game 2.  Clayton Kershaw needs help from his offense to even the series.

 

 

Dodgers vs Braves NLCS Game 2 Preview

 

The Dodgers play the Braves in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series next game. Braves got the best of the Dodger in Game 1, but can they keep the Dodgers’ bats quiet again. Mookie Betts will need to play like the MVP caliber player he is, as well as one of baseball’s top-paid players. Clayton Kershaw has all the pressure on him now and can keep the Dodgers in the series, save the bullpen, and prove the haters wrong with a solid performance. The Dodgers bats will need to hold up their end of the bargain and get a few more hits.

 

 

Scheduled to pitch in game 2 Tuesday, 10/13

Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (2-0) / Braves: RHP Ian Anderson (2-0)

Dodgers vs Braves    Dodgers vs Braves    Dodgers vs Braves    Dodgers vs Braves    Dodgers vs Braves    Dodgers vs Braves    Dodgers vs Braves    Dodgers vs Braves    Dodgers vs Braves    Dodgers vs Braves    Dodgers vs Braves    Dodgers vs Braves    Dodgers vs Braves    Dodgers vs Braves    Dodgers vs Braves    Dodgers vs Braves    Dodgers vs Braves               

-Rich Decristan – Franchise Sports Media

Follow The Franchise on Social Media

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube