Heavyweights of the NL: Round One

This weekend, the Atlanta Braves travel to LA to face the Dodgers. Both teams are highly touted, both teams deserve their flowers, but only one team gets to claim victory this weekend.

The Dodgers are the best team in baseball (on paper). The Braves are the best team in baseball (in execution). This weekend’s matchup is a fun May glimpse of what is the odds-on favorite to be the NLCS we see in October.

The Braves came into this one limping. They took their first series loss of the year just a few days ago in Seattle and are without their superstar right fielder, Ronald Acuna Jr., or their closer, Raisel Iglesias. After some shifting and managing from the front office, we see a lineup that leads off with a catcher and rounds out with starting shortstop Jim Jarvis (who may or may not have been the homecoming king at his high school last year).

All-in-all, the Braves were getting what they needed out of that lineup to beat anybody. Anybody but the Dodgers that is. The Braves scored just one run on nine hits in the loss. They provided plenty of traffic around the base paths, but they could not seem to drive anybody home. Anytime it seemed like the Braves were going to break through, a Dodger defender was perfectly positioned to snuff out the danger.

As far as the pitching goes, Chris Sale is always a safe bet against anybody. Anybody but the Dodgers. Sale did not get blown up on or chased out early, but his seven innings of three run ball was marred by a solo homerun from former Brave first baseman Freddie Freeman in the bottom of the sixth.

Tomorrow is another day. The Braves will trot out Spencer Strider, fresh off his return from injury, to face Blake Snell, making his season debut. This round promises to be just as entertaining as the first round of the heavyweight bout. All eyes will be on Uniqlo Field as we try to establish the pecking order in the National League this weekend.