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by Rowan Kavner
The Dodgers believe their playoff experience after nine straight trips to the postseason provides them an advantage when facing October adversity. There may not be a better example of the Dodgers’ perseverance under pressure than last year’s National League Championship Series.
After overcoming a 3–1 deficit against the Braves in the 2020 NLCS en route to winning a world championship, the Dodgers will meet the same team this year to determine which club will represent the NL team the World Series. This time, the teams will be playing at their home stadiums rather than a Texas bubble.
Manager Dave Roberts looks back at what the Dodgers accomplished last postseason against the Braves and said it’s probably the proudest he’s ever been of a team and an organization.
“That NLCS, and coming back from that 3–1 deficit, was everything,” Roberts said. “And that Game 7 was just as important if not bigger than Game 6 in the World Series. So, yeah, I think that getting through that certainly gave us that momentum and confidence that we can win four more games with our backs against the wall as they were.”
Many holdovers remain from last year’s seven-game NLCS, which featured a bevy of extraordinary defensive plays from Mookie Betts that helped keep the series alive. Betts has been one of the Dodgers’ standouts again, batting 11-for-24 so far this postseason.
Both teams are missing a key position player this time around with the Dodgers’ Max Muncy (elbow) and the Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. (knee) out injured. And now, former Dodger Joc Pederson is on the other side. He is 3-for-7 with two homers this postseason for the Braves.
The series begins Saturday in Atlanta with first pitch set for 5:08 p.m. PT. The Dodgers ended the regular season with 18 more wins than the Braves, but Atlanta takes home-field advantage into the series after winning its division.
Max Scherzer said he’s “not here to cry about (it).”
“Even though we won 106 ballgames, we can say this and that, but we didn’t win our division,” Scherzer said. “If you keep the emphasis on winning your division, I think that’s a good thing.”
It was a possibility that Scherzer would start Game 1, but the Dodgers will instead utilize a bullpen game after the 37-year-old right-hander pitched the final inning Thursday night in San Francisco to finish off the rival Giants in the National League Division Series. That game was opened by Corey Knebel, who will open again Saturday against Braves starter Max Fried.
Roberts said he hated the idea of openers when they first started appearing in Major League Baseball. Now, he feels differently. An opener not only helped the Dodgers dictate their matchups in the final game of the NLDS, but bullpen games also helped the club get through a regular season with a litany of rotation injuries and absences.
“When you sit in this chair, you’re trying to win games,” Roberts said. “That’s the bottom line. So, it doesn’t matter how appealing it is or what it is.”
Scherzer said he likely would have been limited if he had to pitch again in Game 1 on short rest. Pushing him back a day should provide him the rest he needs for a normal start. After Saturday’s bullpen game, the Dodgers line up with Scherzer for Game 2, Walker Buehler for Game 3 and Julio Urías for Game 4. Roberts said Tony Gonsolin, who didn’t pitch in the NLDS, will be available to throw around 60 to 75 pitches at some point in Game 1.
This is the sixth time the Dodgers are playing in the NLCS in the last nine years. Roberts isn’t expecting any sort of emotional letdown after the intensity of the five-game NLDS.
“You’re going to have highs, lows, some tough games where you got to kind of pick things up to win a ballgame,” he said. “So, yeah, I have no doubt our guys are going to come ready to beat the Braves in Game 1.”
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— @Dodgers
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Los Angeles Dodgers (106–56, 2nd in NL West)
Team Hitting
AVG: .244 (T-11th in MLB)
OBP: .330 (T-4th)
SLG: .429 (7th)
OPS: .759 (T-5th)
R: 830 (4th)
HR: 237 (4th)
BB: 613 (2nd)
K: 1,408 (13th most)
Team Pitching
ERA: 3.01 (1st)
WHIP: 1.10 (1st)
K/9: 9.91(3rd)
K/BB: 3.29 (3rd)
HR: 161(3rd fewest)
Starters ERA: 2.93 (1st)
Bullpen ERA: 3.16 (2nd)
Top Hitters (by OPS):
- Trea Turner — .328/.375/.536, 28 HR
- Corey Seager — .306/.394/.521, 16 HR
- Max Muncy (injured) — .249/.368/.527, 36 HR
- AJ Pollock — .297/.355/.536, 21 HR
Top Playoff Hitters
- Will Smith — .286/.400/.667, 2 HR
- Mookie Betts — .458/.462/.583, 1 HR
- Cody Bellinger — .294/.368/.353
Playoff Road
- Wild Card — Won series vs. Cardinals, 1–0
- NLDS — Won series vs. Giants, 3–2
Atlanta Braves (88–73, 1st in NL West)
Team Hitting
AVG: .244 (T-18th)
OBP: .319 (12th)
SLG: .435 (5th)
OPS: .754 (T-8th)
R: .790 (8th)
HR: 239 (3rd)
BB: 549 (12th)
K: 1,453 (11th most)
Team Pitching
ERA: 3.88 (8th)
WHIP: 1.24 (10th)
K/9: 9.91 (3rd)
K/BB: 2.75 (13th)
HR: 183 (8th fewest)
Starters ERA: 3.84 (7th)
Bullpen ERA: 3.97 (T-10th)
Top Hitters (by OPS):
- Austin Riley — .303/.367/.531, 33 HR
- Freddie Freeman — .300/.393/.503, 31 HR
- Ozzie Albies — .259/.310/.488, 30 HR
Top Playoff Hitters
- Joc Pederson — .429/.429/1.286, 2 HR
- Freddie Freeman — .308/.471/.615, 1 HR
- Austin Riley — .333/.375/.533, 1 HR
Playoff Road
- NLDS — Won series vs. Brewers, 3–1
NLCS Schedule
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*All games on TBS
NLCS Preview: Dodgers, Braves meet again in rematch was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.