It took the Los Angeles Dodgers 163 games to win their sixth consecutive NL West title and they’re hoping the sixth time is the charm. In the first four of the previous five seasons, the Dodgers failed to reach the World Series. They got their last year only to lose Game 7 at home. In order to get their first World Series title since 1988, the Dodgers must first get past the upstart Atlanta Braves, who many feel are a year ahead of schedule in their rebuild. The last time the Braves reached the postseason was in 2013 when they lost the best-of-five National League Division Series to the Dodgers.
Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Schedule
Game 1 – Braves at Dodgers, Thursday, October 4, 2018, 8:37 p.m. ET ( MLBN )
Game 2 – Braves at Dodgers, Friday, October 5, 2018, 9:37 p.m. ET ( FS1 )
Game 3 – Dodgers at Braves, Sunday, October 7, 2018, 8:07 p.m. ET ( FS1 )
Game 4 – Dodgers at Braves, Monday, October 8 (If Necessary)
Game 5 – Braves at Dodgers, Wednesday, October 10 (If Necessary)
Odds Analysis
Starting this series in Los Angeles might actually be a blessing for the Braves, who were better on the road than they were at home this season. Their 47 road victories were tied with the Dodgers for the most in the National League. Atlanta was only 43-38 at Sun Trust Park and their 90 total victories are the fewest of any playoff team.
There is a reason for that. The Braves dominated within their division, going 49-27 while posting a winning record against every NL East team. They took over first place on August 13 and never vacated the top spot, winning the division by eight games. Outside the division was a different story. They had a losing record against bottom-feeders Baltimore and Cincinnati, split six games with the hapless Giants and were just one better than the inept Padres. It makes me wonder which team is going to show up.
The Dodgers finished with just one more victory than the Braves, but unlike Atlanta they had to overcome some early season struggles to win the NL West. On May 16 the Dodgers fell a season-worst 10 games below .500 with their second straight loss to the Marlins. The veteran group turned things around by winning seven of their next eight games and going 76-45 the rest of the way. They swept a three-game series to end the season, outscoring the Giants 28-7 to force the single-game tie-breaker.
Head to Head
The Dodgers took the season series winning five of the seven matchups. L.A. took two of three at Dodger Stadium in June then won three of four in Atlanta in late July holding the Braves to a total of eight runs in those games. Overall the Dodgers outscored the Braves 35-18.
Braves Outlook
They don’t do anything spectacular, except maybe cultivate top-end talent, but they do everything really well. The Braves were the first NL team to qualify for a playoff berth thanks to their collection of young stars, led by Ronald Acuna Jr., who hit .293 with 26 home runs and a .917 OPS in only 111 games in his first big league season. Ozzie Albies is an extra base hit machine with 69 of his 167 hits ending up beyond first base. Freddie Freeman is the lone holdover among position players from Atlanta’s last postseason trip and he provides veteran leadership. He also provides offense with a NL-best 191 hits, 23 homers and 98 RBIs.
While Atlanta’s starting rotation had the second-best ERA behind the Dodgers in the NL, it’s hard to trust a group in the postseason that has Mike Foltynewicz, Kevin Gausman and Anibal Sanchez as your top three. Foltynewicz had a breakout season in 2018 with 13 victories, a 2.85 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 202 strikeouts, but Game 1 will be his first postseason encounter.
Dodgers Outlook
The Braves were just 21-26 against lefties this season and the Dodgers stacked their rotation with southpaws. In a bit of a surprise, Hyun-Jin Ryu will get the Game 1 nod over Clayton Kershaw, but recent form dictated that move. Ryu has allowed just one run in his last 19 innings while Kershaw is coming off a sub-par performance in his last outing. Rich Hill is also available as is tie-break winner righty Walker Buehler.
There is a bunch of moving parts on offense, but whoever Dave Roberts plugs in can do the job. The team came alive offensively in the second half of the season with Manny Machado a big reason why. Chris Taylor, Cody Bellinger and Joc Pederson overcame slow starts to put up respectable numbers and Max Muncy belted 35 homers, one of seven players to hit more than 20. The Dodgers clubbed 235 homers for the year and scored an average of nearly 5.0 runs per game.
MLB Pick
The Braves are an exciting team and they may be young enough to not know that they shouldn’t be here. While their rebuild has gone warp speed, they might be without one of their leaders in Dansby Swanson, and that hurts. The Dodgers have been here before, the last six seasons to be exact, and they are thinking World Series title. And they have the talent to get it this year. Take the Dodgers in four games to advance to the NLCS.
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