3 Takeaways from the Braves recent series with the Dodgers

The Atlanta Braves haven't always had the best time at Dodger Stadium or on the West Coast in general. That certainly changed during their most recent road trip which saw them go 8-2. During that trip, they faced the Giants, Rockies, and Dodgers.

Not to disrespect the Giants and Rockies but that Dodgers series was circled on my calendar. A four-game series with one of the best teams in baseball late in the season is very important. Fans were certainly treated to a great series and potential NLCS preview.

Coming away with a series split would have been enough but Atlanta was able to win 3 out of the 4 games and win the season series against LA. That helped Atlanta solidify home-field advantage over the Dodgers for the postseason.

Braves manager Brian Snitker had a lot of good things following Sunday's 3-1 loss in LA. This team is showing everyone in baseball that they are a team that is not to be taken lightly.

What did we learn during this series? Well... a good bit actually. Let's explore some takeaways from this most recent series between the two juggernauts.

Braves and Dodgers Takeaways

1. The mutual respect between both sides

The Braves and Dodgers have played one another enough over the past few years to know how good both teams are. This is why no matter the time of year, each team comes into a series with an understanding that it will be a grind.

Ronald Acuna Jr. and Mookie Betts are frontrunners for the NL MVP Award and both have a lot of respect for one another. Apparently, the two are good friends and have an appreciation for the talent each of them possesses.

RELATED: Could Ronald Acuna Jr. lose the NL MVP race?

Ronald has talked about how much he admires the way Mookie plays the game and that they always enjoy competing against one another. Mookie Betts even mentioned after this series that he doesn't view it as a rivalry and they "enjoy seeing each other's success."

Game one certainly showed that as both players seemed to feed off of one another. Acuna had a big grand slam in that game to help him reach the 30 HR/60 SB milestone. Ronald finished the day 3-for-4 with 4 RBI and Betts answered with a 2-for-4 day including 2 solo home runs and 4 RBI.

Ronald definitely has turned into a bit of a villain for Dodgers fans as he showed off during the series but he didn't do anything that led to "bulletin board material."

Charlie Morton talked about this after yesterday's game about how they know every time they play the Dodgers, he doesn't expect Atlanta to "dirt roll" them. That shows you how much respect he and other players on this team have for LA.

After all, the Braves have faced LA enough over the last 5 years to know that nothing is a given in the playoffs and the Dodgers' potent offense can rally off a plethora of runs in a heartbeat. That doesn't mean you should come into the series thinking you're just going to steamroll them. Both sides respecting one another is a great thing to see and makes for some great baseball.

2. The Braves starting pitching is a bit deeper

If there is one "weakness" to be found in the Dodgers, it's their starting pitching. They've really not been at full strength in that position most of the year. Walker Buehler has been out almost the entire year recovering from Tommy John surgery. He will be a boost for the Dodgers when he returns.

He recently had his first rehab start and is hoping to return to LA in time for the playoffs. Clayton Kershaw came back to the Dodgers on a one-year deal and has been pretty good for them when he's been healthy. He's 12-4 with a 2.48 ERA through 112.1 innings of work which includes 120 strikeouts.

However, he missed the month of July with shoulder inflammation so his health is always something they have to be concerned with. Julio Urias has been good for the Dodgers all year but recent allegations of domestic violence could end his season.

RELATED: 3 Reasons the Braves Have the Best Pitching Staff in NL

Noah Syndergaard started the year with the Dodgers hoping to show he still had it and he did alright. LA ended up trading him to Cleveland at the deadline for Ahmed Rosario. Syndergaard had a 7.16 ERA through 12 games with the Dodgers. He was recently released by the Guardians a few days ago.

They lost Dustin May back in May to an injury to his elbow and he had season-ending surgery in July. So, their plans for a rotation early on did not pan out how they'd hoped it would. They rebuilt their rotation into something better with trades for Lance Lynn and Ryan Yarbrough. Bobby Miller has been a nice surprise for them this year too.

The Braves have the 7th-best starter ERA at 4.01 which is 40 points better than LA which sits at 4.49 through the season so far and is 17th best.

Atlanta did struggle with some injuries this season similar to Los Angeles with losing Max Fried early on in the year and Kyle Wright, similarly to Buehler, is just now working his way back through a rehab assignment. The Braves have depended solely on Bryce Elder, Spencer Strider, and Charlie Morton to cover the majority of innings. Those last two rotation spots have been a revolving door.

Max Fried coming back immediately deepened an already good staff and allowed Atlanta to just worry about filling that 5th rotation spot. If the season ended today, I think the Braves taking a four-man rotation of Strider, Fried, Morton, and Elder bodes well for them. The prospect of having someone like Kyle Wright potentially added to that mix is a bonus.

Overall, the depth of the Braves pitching gives them an advantage in a series with the Dodgers. Even the bullpen has an enormous amount of depth. Atlanta's overall team ERA is third best in baseball at 3.48 versus the Dodgers 16th best of 4.16 this season.

Anything can happen in the playoffs but right now, I'd feel more confident in the Braves pitching going into October.