Atlanta Braves podcast S2E33: NLCS Preview edition

Are we ready for this?  The Atlanta Braves have now made it to the same point as they did in 2020… but what’s different this time around?

What will it take to beat the LA Dodgers this year?  That’s the question that the Atlanta Braves have been asking themselves during a few well-earned days off this week.

This year the Braves look a bit different than they did this time last year… but perhaps more similar to 2021 than you might have thought.  In fact, here’s the starting lineup from October 12, 2020:

• Ronald Acuna, Jr.
• Freddie Freeman
• Marcell Ozuna (DH)
• Travis d’Arnaud
• Ozzie Albies
• Dansby Swanson
• Adam Duvall
• Nick Markakis
• Austin Riley
• Max Fried (P)

This group beat the Dodgers — at Arlington, TX — as the visiting team in both of the first two games, winning by scores of 5-1 and 8-7.

What you may not have remembered is that these Braves broke open a 1-1 tie in the 9th inning of Game 1 against Blake Treinen… scoring 4 times as Austin Riley led the onslaught .  They outlasted Walker Buehler, Brusdar Graterol, Dustin May, and Victor Gonzalez to get to a pitcher having a bad day.

That’s exactly what needs to happen again this year:  the Braves need to…

• work pitch counts (Buehler threw 100 pitches in just 5 innings in that 1st game last year)
• spoil good pitches and spit on bad ones (Buehler & company walked 6)
• take advantage of mistakes (3 hits vs. Treinan in 4 batters)

The Braves have better starting pitching set up than they did last year.  They have roughly the same caliber of offense overall, too.

The Dodgers lost 1st baseman Max Muncy and starter Clayton Kershaw, but they’ve also added Trea Turner and Max Scherzer.  Oy.

Regardless: this feels like a revenge match that many of these Braves remember ending just one win short of the World Series.

It will take a great effort to beat this group of All-Stars from the West, but the Braves know them and they know what they’ve done before against them — as even bigger underdogs a year ago.

So here’s our preview of the NLCS, with the usual options for you to hear what we have to report:

• The direct download link is here.
• Your favorite subscription site will have it available
• This handy player will let you hear everything directly from this page

It’s going to be a challenge this week — no doubt — so let’s root for our Atlanta Braves to overcome the Evil Empire of the NL.

Game 1’s time is 8:08pm on Saturday.  Game 2 begins 7:38pm on Sunday.  Go Braves!