The Atlanta Braves begin their National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, with Dylan Dodd handed the ball for Game 1 at a sweltering Dodger Stadium.
First pitch is scheduled for 4pm EDT, or 9pm BST, in the opening game of the best-of-five series. The Dodgers will start Tarik Skubal, who was selected ahead of Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the postseason opener.
Atlanta booked its place in the divisional round by beating the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 in Thursday’s decisive Wild Card game. Michael Harris II struck a three-run home run in the first inning, Ozzie Albies followed with a two-run shot in the fourth and Matt Olson added a solo homer late on.
Ray Kerr provided 3⅓ scoreless innings out of the bullpen before Chris Sale came on in the eighth to finish the victory. Harris, who batted .294 during the regular season with 26 home runs and 36 doubles, will be among the Braves’ key threats against Los Angeles.
Braves face formidable Dodgers test
The Dodgers finished top of the National League West and enter the series as back-to-back World Series champions. They are seeking to become the first National League team to win three consecutive titles since the feat was achieved by the St Louis Cardinals in the 1940s.
Atlanta, however, won five of the clubs’ six regular-season meetings, including a three-game sweep at Truist Park in August. The Braves also defeated the Dodgers in the 2021 National League Championship Series on their way to the fourth World Series title in franchise history.
The teams are meeting in the NLDS for the fourth time, with their last divisional-series clash coming in 2018, when Los Angeles won 3-1. Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts headline a Dodgers line-up that also includes Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Teoscar Hernández.
Dodd is due to make his first career postseason appearance after producing a 2.35 earned-run average over his final 34 regular-season outings. Skubal, meanwhile, brings extensive October experience and a career 2.04 playoff ERA from his time with the Detroit Tigers.
Conditions could add another challenge, with temperatures in Los Angeles forecast to reach 101F, about 38C. The Dodgers have advised supporters to prepare for the heat, while both teams are expected to manage hydration carefully throughout the afternoon.
Both pitching staffs have been weakened by injuries. Atlanta are without Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach and Reynaldo López, while the Dodgers have several starters and relievers unavailable on the injured list.
Game 2 will also take place in Los Angeles on Sunday before the series moves to Truist Park for Game 3 in Atlanta on Tuesday.
