Two National League heavyweights will meet this weekend at Dodger Stadium when the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Atlanta Braves for four games. The Braves and Dodgers not only own the NL's two best records, they have the two best records in baseball overall. These clubs could be on another postseason collision course after meeting in the 2020 and 2021 NLCS.
Here are the top of the MLB standings:
Atlanta Braves: 87-45Los Angeles Dodgers: 83-49 (4 GB)Baltimore Orioles: 83-50 (4.5 GB)Tampa Bay Rays: 82-52 (6 GB) Seattle Mariners: 76-57 (11.5 GB)The Dodgers are outrageously hot at the moment -- they are 24-4 in August -- and they've opened up a 14.5-game lead in the NL West. The Braves have had a double-digit lead in the NL East since July 20. Barring a pair of historic collapses, these two powerhouses will again win their divisions in 2023. Once again, they're the class of the sport.
Here are the details for this weekend's four-game series at Dodger Stadium. Games can be streamed on fubo (try for free).
Thurs., Aug. 31
10:10 p.m. ET
RHP Lance Lynn (10-9, 5.56 ERA) vs. RHP Spencer Strider (15-4, 3.46 ERA)
Bally Sports South, SportsNet LA, MLBN
Fri., Sept. 1
10:10 p.m. ET
LHP Julio Urías (11-7, 4.41 ERA) vs. LHP Max Fried (5-1, 2.85 ERA)
Bally Sports South, SportsNet LA
Sat., Sept. 2
9:10 p.m. ET
TBD vs. RHP Bryce Elder (11-4, 3.50 ERA)
Bally Sports South, SportsNet LA
Sun., Sept. 3
4:10 p.m. ET
RHP Bobby Miller (8-3, 4.00 ERA) vs. RHP Charlie Morton (14-10, 3.29 ERA)
Bally Sports South, SportsNet LA
Tony Gonsolin's Tommy John surgery created an opening in a Dodgers rotation that is already without Walker Buehler and Dustin May, who are rehabbing from their own elbow surgeries. The Braves are waiting for Kyle Wright, a 21-game winner a year ago, to return from his shoulder injury. He's currently on a minor-league rehab assignment.
The Braves and Dodgers have both dealt with a lot -- A LOT -- of rotation injuries this season and, all things considered, they have weathered the storm well. Can't complain about taking a double-digit division lead into September. Now it's a matter of getting everyone healthy and keeping everyone healthy for the postseason.
Here are four things to know about this weekend's four-game Braves vs. Dodgers series at Dodger Stadium, with a prediction thrown in for good measure.
1. There's something on the line this weekend
As noted in the intro, the Dodgers are only four games behind the Braves for the best record in baseball, and the best record in baseball comes with home-field advantage every step of the way in the postseason. It doesn't guarantee you'll advance, of course, but it does mean more nights in your own bed in October, and winner-take-all games in front of your fans.
Even if the Dodgers manage to sweep the Braves and move into a tie atop the MLB standings, there's still roughly a month to play after this weekend and plenty of time for things to change. There is one thing to be clinched this weekend though: the season series. The Braves and Dodgers played three games at Truist Park earlier this season. The outcomes:
Ozzie Albies provided the walk-off sacrifice fly in the finale to salvage the series and help the Braves avoid the sweep. The Dodgers did win two of three though, meaning they only need to split this weekend to clinch the season series against the Braves. Atlanta has to win three of four to claim the season series. That's a tall order.
The season series is not insignificant. Head-to-head record is the tiebreaker and determines who would get home field advantage in a potential postseason meeting should these two clubs finish with identical records. There's only a small chance it's necessary but you'd rather have the tiebreaker and not need it and then need it and not have it, right? Right.
Remember, just last season the Braves needed the tiebreaker to win the NL East. The Mets and Braves finished with identical 101-61 records last year and Atlanta won the division because the team won the season series 10-9. The Braves won the division and got a Wild Card Series bye. The Mets had to play the extra postseason round.
Finishing with baseball's best record and securing home-field advantage throughout the postseason is the ultimate goal and the Dodgers want to gain ground on the Braves this weekend (and the Braves want to bury the Dodgers). Secondary to that is winning the season series for tiebreaker purposes. Maybe it's ultimately unnecessary, but you still want it in your bag.
2. MVP duos will meet
There's a chance -- a good chance, I'd say -- the top four finishers in this year's NL MVP voting will be on the same field this weekend. Ronald Acuña Jr. has been the MVP front runner all season, though Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are charging hard, and Matt Olson has a chance to become baseball's first 140 RBI man since Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard in 2009.
Here are the combined numbers for each team's MVP duo. They are staggering:
Betts and Freeman
1,182
.327/.411/.598
87
61
183
27
13.6
Acuña and Olson
1,202
.304/.398/.578
55
72
191
62
11.6
Brilliant talents, all of them, and it's not out of the question all four could one day find themselves in the Hall of Fame. I'd argue Betts and Freeman are what, 75% of the way to Cooperstown? Maybe even more than that. Acuña is really just getting started and has a long way to go before we can have a serious Hall of Fame discussion, but he certainly has that kind of ability.
And, of course, there is the added intrigue of the Braves replacing Freeman with Olson. Atlanta and Freeman were having trouble finding common ground on a contract two years ago, so Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos quickly pivoted and traded for Olson (and signed him long-term). That all said, I don't think anyone involved is unhappy with their current situation. Four of the game's very best players will be on the same field this weekend. How fun.
MORE: Would you rather have the Braves' or Dodgers' star duo?
3. Who's hot, who's not
Baseball is a game of peaks and valleys and, inevitably, some players head into this weekend's series feeling better at the plate than others. In a week or two, things could be totally different. Such is life in this sport. Here are three Braves players who have been red hot offensively the last two weeks:
Acuña has been his usual self as well the last two weeks (.333/.373/.542). That guy has not slumped once this season. It's pretty remarkable. Anyway, Harris started the season slowly but has been outstanding since June. Ozuna has been on a warpath lately and Rosario is an eye test superstar. His game always looks better than the numbers say it is.
On the other side of the coin, Olson has been going through it the last two weeks (.238/.327/.357), and others like Austin Riley (.227/.306/.409) and Sean Murphy (.240/.345/.360) have been a notch or two below their usual selves. The Braves lead baseball with 250 home runs, 42 more than the second-place Dodgers, and they are slugging .500 as a team. Absurd.
Now here are three Dodgers players who have torn the cover off the ball the last two weeks:
Heyward's resurgent season has been made possible in part by Betts. Mookie's ability to play the infield has made it easier to get Heyward into the lineup against righties. Muncy has an extra-base hit in his last eight games, and although Outman's batting average is down, he's hit for a lot of power lately. He came out of the gate well, slumped a bit, and now he's performing again.
Betts is on an all-time heater right now -- he's hit .511/558/.915 the last two weeks and .452/.509/.808 in August -- and Freeman has been his usual self lately as well (.340/.392/.532). The recent laggers are David Peralta (.219/.278/.281 the last two weeks) and Will Smith (.220/.250/.390). The Braves and Dodgers rank 1-2 in runs per game (5.83 vs. 5.66) as well as team on-base percentage (.345 vs. .341) and slugging percentage (.500 vs. 460). These offenses are high-powered.
4. Rosters expand Friday
Friday is Sept. 1 and the day teams expand their active rosters from 26 players to 28 players. The old September call up rules went away in 2021 and teams can no longer call up their entire 40-man roster. Now they only get one extra pitcher and one extra position player in September, and it is not optional. Every team has to call up those two extra players Friday.
Neither the Dodgers nor Braves have announced who they will call up Friday. Outfielder Forrest Wall and one of Dylan Dodd, Ben Heller, Mike Soroka, AJ Smith-Shawver, or Allan Winans seems likely for Atlanta. The Dodgers could go with infielder Miguel Vargas and summon righty Emmet Sheehan, he pitched some out of the bullpen in Triple-A lately. Both teams have good options.
Regardless of who gets the call, the point is the roster expansion period is coming Friday. It'll happen one game into this four-game Braves vs. Dodgers set. Each team will add an extra pitcher and an extra position player in the middle of their series.
Prediction
With a four-game series, I could take the coward's way out and say it'll be a split, but no. That's too easy. I will say the Dodgers win three of four. I honestly can not explain why. Just a hunch. Both teams are excellent and predicting a split is kind of lame, so I went with the home team. The Dodgers are an incredible 46-21 at Dodger Stadium this season, you know. That's the best home record in baseball. Of course, the Braves have baseball's best road record at 43-23. In conclusion: enjoy the baseball, folks.
