LOS ANGELES — The Braves could use a little California sunshine right now. Maybe the cool breeze and palm trees will liven up the bats.
While the Braves were stifled by some fine pitching in the Pacific Northwest, resulting in losing two of three to the Mariners, the Dodgers were in Phoenix, where about the only thing that slowed them was a bee invasion Tuesday evening. They took two of three, outscoring Arizona by 11 runs combined.
The National League has three clear top teams right now in the Braves, Dodgers and Phillies. The aforementioned two, though, have obtained sterling records despite suboptimal circumstances. And both remain among the World Series favorites entering May.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably aware of what the Braves (20-9) are enduring. They’re down their ace and their All-Star catcher, and their record-setting offense has been subdued thus far. It’s a matter of time, one assumes, until Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson and Austin Riley sort themselves out.
So the focus here centers on the Braves’ western adversary, the Dodgers. After conducting perhaps the greatest offseason in history, the team has looked vulnerable to this point despite its unsurprising first-place standing (20-13) in the NL West.
The bottom of the order has been an issue, which is where the Braves were presumed to have an advantage over Los Angeles. The upper portion of the Dodgers’ lineup is phenomenal. Mookie Betts (1.104 OPS), Shohei Ohtani (1.017), Freddie Freeman (.833) and Will Smith (.950) are among the few foursomes equal in ability to the Braves’ when they’re at their best.
Yet the Dodgers have holes as the lineup progresses. Veteran Teoscar Hernandez carries a lot of power, but he’s been inconsistent. Max Muncy is sitting more frequently against left-handers. Chris Taylor, whom Braves fans might remember playing well in past postseason matchups, is hitting .078 (4-for-51). Enrique Hernandez and Miguel Rojas are who they are at this stage of their careers. Rookie Andy Pages has started well (.291 average), and that’s helped, but expect the Dodgers to explore dipping into their resource pool – of seemingly endless money and prospects – to add another bat by the trade deadline.
The Dodgers’ pitching is interesting. The good: Tyler Glasnow, acquired from the Rays over the winter, looks absolutely sensational. The Braves will see him Saturday. He’s become the Dodgers’ stopper; they’re 6-1 in his outings and 14-12 otherwise. Like Chris Sale, the question is whether Glasnow can remain healthy throughout the season, given his recent history. The same can be wondered about oft-injured veteran James Paxton, who owns a 3.51 ERA in five outings but hasn’t made 20 starts in a season since 2019.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, whom the Dodgers paid $325 million expecting that he would be an ace, has begun to acclimate well to MLB. He pitched five scoreless innings Wednesday. In six starts since a rough debut, Yamamoto has a 1.64 ERA. It appears the Dodgers did, indeed, acquire an ace-caliber pitcher for the long term. The Braves will miss him this weekend.
Beyond that group, the Dodgers’ rotation is uncertain. Youngster Bobby Miller currently is sidelined with shoulder inflammation. Clayton Kershaw could help, but he won’t be back until later in the season, and it’s difficult to project what he’ll look like. Walker Buehler, once the team’s best pitcher, has been rehabbing and working toward a return next week. But it will be his first MLB start in 22 months, so it’s likewise hard to project anything regarding Buehler.
The bullpen is a bigger concern, largely because of injuries. Once an important part of the group, Brusdal Graterol remains absent because of a shoulder issue. Blake Treinen, another pitcher who’s dealt with his share of injuries, could be back soon from broken ribs. Ryan Brasier, who’d been trying to recapture form, is down with a calf strain. The unit was pitching better for a while, but the Dodgers still are figuring out the best mix and having to rely on unlikely names. This would be the most logical area for them to upgrade in the coming months.
All that is to say: The Braves and Dodgers will compete for the No. 1 seed, and they also might compete for pitching at the deadline. Both teams will almost certainly be “in” on any decent starter available. The Braves could have a lesser need for offensive and bullpen upgrades, though every team wants another reliever.
The Dodgers, given what they invested this winter, surely will be aggressive. The reality is that few, if any, teams could outbid them in trade talks since the Dodgers’ farm system is so deep. It’s a matter of want to. Up until this winter, the Dodgers always showed some level of restraint (yes, really). Now, they seem determined to get whatever they want. In a sport of Haves and Have Nots, they want to have it all.
As these teams face off this weekend, remember that the Braves and Dodgers haven’t met in the postseason since 2021, a series that always will be remembered fondly in the South. But that was a while ago: Freeman and Dansby Swanson were still Braves. Cody Bellinger, Max Scherzer and Trea Turner were Dodgers.
In the time since, the Braves and Dodgers have been ousted by division rivals twice in the NL Division Series. The teams are a combined 3-12 in the postseason over the past two years despite running away with the NL’s best records. This sport is funny. We’ll spend months discussing these two teams, analyzing how they compare with each other, only to watch something like Cubs-Giants in the NL Championship Series.
Eventually, these teams will meet again, right? Eventually, there will be a star-studded Braves-Dodgers postseason rematch. It’s felt years in the making. Hey, maybe if discussed enough, it’ll be willed into existence. Both teams have enough people to make it happen.
For now, we’ll stick with eagerly anticipating their regular-season meetings. And the first one of 2024 is Friday.
FRIDAY’S GAME
Braves at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m., BSSO, 680 AM, 93.7 FM, 103.7 FM, 1340 AM
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