Braves Get Whacked By Dodgers to Drop Series on Saturday Night

The Atlanta Braves got whacked by the Los Angeles Dodgers, losing tonight’s game 11-2 to officially drop the series to LA. 

Here’s what you need to know about from the contest.

Atlanta’s resident sinkerballer, making his third start of the season, struggled in his third career start against the Dodgers. Elder allowed seven runs in just 3.1 innings, allowing seven hits (including three homers) and four walks against just four strikeouts. 

Throwing 71 pitches (41 for strikes), Elder just struggled to miss Dodgers bats tonight. He picked up just nine whiffs (on twenty-eight swings) and allowed six hard-hit balls. Locations seemed to be a problem for Elder tonight, with all three homers coming on pitches that were left waist-high. 

Dylan Lee came in and ate some innings for Atlanta, pitching 2.2 innings with three hits but no runs allowed, striking out three. His extended relief outing allowed Atlanta to use only Tyler Matzek (0.2 IP, 3R/1ER) and Jackson Stephens to finish the game, saving some higher-leverage arms that pitched last night in extras and could potentially be needed tomorrow.   

The “Big Three” for the Braves - Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley, and Matt Olson - have been slumping recently. 

Acuña looks like he’s possibly coming out of it. 

He went three for four, scoring a run. Acuña’s three hits (one a double) and three of his four batted balls were officially hard-hit balls: a 103.4 mph single in the 4th inning and a 107.7 mph double in the sixth, both off of Tyler Glasnow, and a 105.2 single off of reliever Gus Varland in the 7th. He also stole a base, his 24th of the season, to put himself into scoring position.

While Riley didn’t pile up the statistical numbers, getting only one hit, he ripped that single off the bat at 108.2 (scoring Acuña from 2nd).  

Ronald had three hits in this one, but that was half of the team’s total six hits in the contest. Atlanta just couldn’t figure out Tyler Glasnow, who entered this game as MLB’s strikeout leader and won’t drop that mantle after striking out ten Braves in this one. He racked up fourteen whiffs and a 32% CSW, while the Braves went just one for ten with runners in scoring position and stranded six baserunners. 

Meanwhile, Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy outproduced Atlanta’s offense all by himself, hitting three home runs and racking up four RBIs tonight. He victimized Bryce Elder (2nd inning), Tyler Matzek (7th inning), and Jackson Stephens (8th inning) for a combined 1,187 feet of homers.    

The Braves wrap up the series on Sunday in the late afternoon window. Atlanta’s sending ace Max Fried (2-0, 4.02) to the mound, facing off with offseason acquisition James Paxton (3-0, 3.51). First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 PM ET.