The Braves are in the postseason for the first time since 2013, and they’ll oppose the very team that eliminated them a half-decade ago.
The Dodgers defeated the Rockies 5-2 in the National League West tiebreaker at Dodger Stadium on Monday. It was the Dodgers’ sixth consecutive West title and awards them home-field advantage in the National League Division Series against the Braves.
Game 1 will be Thursday in Los Angeles, with game 2 a day later. The Braves will host the Dodgers at SunTrust Park on Sunday, possibly Monday if a game 4 is required. A winner-take-all fifth game would be at Chavez Ravine. All times are to be determined.
- Braves-Dodgers playoff schedule
The Braves went 2-5 against the Dodgers in the regular season. They lost two of three on the road in early June. The Dodgers took the first three of a four-game set at SunTrust Park before Sean Newcomb’s best outing of the year, when he tossed 134 pitches and came within an out of a no-hitter.
Manager Brian Snitker maintained the Braves’ roster decisions will be influenced by the opponent. Perhaps that includes the team’s fourth starter – Julio Teheran hasn’t historically fared well at Dodger Stadium as opposed to excellent numbers in Colorado.
The meeting also features Charlie Culberson and Matt Kemp facing their former teams. The duo were part of a major salary swap in the offseason that helped the Braves free up future salary commitments and the Dodgers duck the luxury tax.
- Mark Bradley weighs in on Braves-Dodgers
Such a complex move was orchestrated because of relationships between Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos and Dodgers president Andrew Friedman. Anthopoulos worked in the Dodgers front office for a couple years before taking the GM job last November.
In 2013, Craig Kimbrel stood frustrated in the bullpen as the Braves infamously lost to the Dodgers in four games. It was their first postseason meeting since 1996 for the former NL West rivals, when the defending champion Braves swept the Dodgers in three games.
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