The Match Game
LA is taking the intellectual approach. They are attempting to maximize same-sided arms and hitters and using the analytical numbers to their advantage.
They are also trying to leverage the regular “bullpen work” days of some starters — namely Scherzer and Urias — to save some of their bullpen arms from being over-used.
It’s a plan that also attempts to force the opposition into using up bench bats to counter these matchup games. In the process, the Dodgers are trying to “waste” those bench bats so that they won’t be available later in games and thus tilting the advantage to the Dodgers.
Brian Snitker, the Man in Black
This is all inconceivable to the Atlanta Braves as Snitker is having none of these games. He’s basically laying all of his cards out on the table and daring the Dodgers to beat his hand.
There’s no shuffling. There’s no goofing about with “Openers” or matchup issues.
In Game 2 of this NLCS, there was some on-air (and on twitter) debate about whether the Braves ought to leave Jesse Chavez in for at least a portion of another inning after having blown through the 4th innings on just 6 pitches.
It was later explained that Snitker likes to give A.J. Minter exactly what he’s used to dealing with: a clean set of bases at the beginning of an inning.
Minter pitched the 5th. He did allow 2 walks, but he also got out of his own mess without giving up a run… something that might have been much more difficult had he, say, inherited a runner or two from Chavez.
The Braves — under Snitker’s leadership — aren’t playing mind games. They are instead playing exactly as they always have been: the starting pitchers are starting. The position players are starting… save for the occasional late-game defensive replacement.
Perhaps most importantly, the Braves bullpen pitchers are also doing what they are used to doing. That’s one less thing for them to worry about at this time of the year… and their results are telling.