The rematch of the 2018 NLDS finished up last night in Los Angeles, and it went about the same as it did last October. Los Angeles wins this battle 3-0, coming away with another generous win against the Atlanta Braves.
Sunny California provided nothing but looming clouds for the Atlanta Braves as they dropped three straight to drop back below .500 on the season.
As Atlanta sits 3.5 back from Philadelphia, one can’t help but wonder what could have been prevented and what could have been done differently.
#Braves lose 9-4. Swept at Dodger Stadium, where they have been no match for the home squad over past 6 yrs. Braves are 6-21 here since beginning of the 2013 season, including four playoff-game losses. ATL has been outscored 78-33 in 14 total games vs. Dodgers since start of ‘18.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) May 9, 2019
DOB says it all in a late-night tweet after the loss. The Braves’ bad luck this week is another chapter in a story told over the last six years; the output out west is abysmal at best.
A historic 2018 season led the Braves to their first postseason since 2013, which began and ended with Los Angeles in four games.
The young, talented team is hungry for more, desperate to get into the postseason where they very much belong.
However, if the output against West Coast teams like Los Angeles, San Diego, and Arizona stays consistent with the tone set so far in 2019, a deeper run in the postseason will continue to be a dream, rather than a long-yearned-for reality.
So what’s the solution? How can Atlanta combat the “big-bad Dodgers” and prove they’re, as it were, a force to be reckoned with in the National League?
The power is there, the potential is more than just there, and the talent has more than proven itself over the last few years.
So what needs to change? What did last night’s series loss tell us about the up-and-coming Braves?