The Atlanta Braves hope to stave off elimination one more day after a big win on Sunday night in game 4 against the Los Angeles Dodgers
Here we go! Game of the NLDS vs the Dodgers. Is this the last game of the season for the Atlanta Braves or do they wanna make 1 more trip out west? The Braves showed there was still some left in the tank after last night’s roller coaster Game 3. The Braves climbed back in the series and now get another crack at the Dodgers today at Suntrust Park.
Leading Off
Shortly after the game, Brian Snitker announced that Mike Foltynewicz would start game 4 for the Braves on short rest after starting game 1. However, he only threw 50 pitches in that game after being pulled after allowing 2 home runs. Opposing him will be another left-hander for the Dodgers, Rich Hill.
Both of those home runs came on 4 seam fastballs thrown pretty much right down the middle of the plate. I would expect Foltynewicz to maybe trust his slider and changeup early in the game and try to get the Dodgers to not look dead red for the heater. A quick glance of the numbers (these numbers do not count for game 1 of this series) show’s that Manny Machado who has been quiet besides a 2 run bomb in game two might want to be avoided. He is 4-6 in his career vs Folty.
More on Hill, who will be on the hill
Rich Hill last pitched on September 30th, so he will be pitching on 7 days rest. In his last 2 starts to close out the year, he pitched 14 innings and only gave up 1 run over those 2 starts. However, both those starts come against San Diego and San Francisco, maybe the two lightest-hitting teams in the NL to close out the year. Before those 2 starts, Hill’s previous 4 were not entirely impressive since none of them equated to a “quality start”.
Due to his numerous injuries throughout his career and the fact that the Braves see him maybe a max of 2 times per year, no Braves player has a ton of experience against Hill. The most standout is Johan Camargo who is 3-6 in his career. On the flip side, Ender Inciarte is 0-7. Those numbers might prompt Snitker to change the lineup back to where it was in the first 2 games. I would also expect Tyler Flowers back in the lineup due to his great numbers against southpaws this season.
Last note on Hill is he did pitch in Atlanta this season, and let’s hope he does not duplicate these numbers today. He pitched 7 innings and only allowed 3 hits and 1 walk. He gave up no runs and struck out 8 batters in late July.
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A few tidbits to close out
Whoever is on the mound for Atlanta has to find the strike zone. The Braves have issued 20 Walks in this series, and that is entirely way too many. It would be much easier to beat a team like the Dodgers in a pitching duel as no one wants to get into a shootout with them with the bats they possess.
Despite scoring 6 runs last night, the Braves have still only scored in 2 innings this series. They still have only collected 13 hits in the 3 games as well. The offense has to step it up a bit if they want to come back and complete the comeback.
Only 2 of the 25 players on the roster have yet to appear in any game so far. Those 2 are Julio Teheran and Rene Rivera. I would not be surprised to see Teheran follow up Folty today. Rivera is obviously on the roster in case of emergency.
Lastly, the game starts at 4:30 today (I know, for most that is a very inopportune time) Fox Sports 1 will have the coverage.
Let’s cheer on the Atlanta Braves as they hope to put the pressure back on the Dodgers and go back to LA for a decisive game 5. Comment below throughout the game!