MLB Betting – Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers NLCS Game 2

The Los Angeles Dodgers may be the best team in Major League Baseball and the favorite to win the World Series, but they’ll have to get past the Atlanta Braves to pay off those futures bets. Behind another solid pitching performance the Bravos struck first in the NLCS with a 5-1 victory on Monday night. The teams had been unbeaten through the first two rounds of the expanded postseason, now it’s only Atlanta with zero to the right of its ledger. If the Dodgers ever needed their ace Clayton Kershaw to come up big in the postseason, Tuesday is the day. Kershaw’s postseason failures are well documented and he can change the narrative with a solid effort to get the Dodgers even. Shortly after publication of this article, Kershaw was scratched from the lineup.  Bookmaker.eu offers a generous welcome bonus (max bonus $1600)

Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Date and Time: Tuesday, October 13, 2020, 6:05 p.m. ET
Location: Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX
Probable Pitchers: Ian Anderson vs. Clayton Kershaw Tony Gonsolin
Opening MLB Odds: Los Angeles -167, Atlanta +150, O/U 7.5
Current MLB Odds (After Pitching Change): Los Angeles -135, Atlanta +122, O/U 8.5
Braves vs. Dodgers TV Coverage: FS1

Odds Analysis

Get the Braves one run and there’s a good chance they win the game. It’s not always going to happen like that, but the way the pitching staff has competed this postseason it sure seems like it. Atlanta entered Game 1 of the NLCS with a microscopic 0.85 staff ERA after tossing four shutouts in five games over the first two postseason rounds.

While they didn’t get a shutout on Monday the Braves came as close as you can get. Max Fried allowed just four hits with nine strikeouts over 6.0 innings taking his third ND of the playoffs. One of the hits was a Kike Hernandez home run that stopped Atlanta’s streak of scoreless innings at 23. The brilliant pitching kept the Braves undefeated at 6-0 while cashing the UNDER in five of those games. Atlanta was a +133 underdog on Monday.

Their inability to crack Fried and three relievers isn’t as much of a concern for the Dodgers as their bullpen is. LA had only four hits in Game 1 with the lone extra base knock being the dinger from Hernandez. They averaged six runs per game against Milwaukee and San Diego in the first two rounds and finished ahead of Atlanta in homers and runs scored during the regular season to lead MLB. I anticipate the offense will come around sooner rather than later.

With closer Kenley Jansen struggling, Dave Roberts opted to not use him in the ninth inning of a tied Game 1. Instead the manager called on Blake Treinen, who served up the go-ahead home run on the fifth pitch of the inning to No. 9 hitter Austin Riley. The Braves added three more runs, two on an Ozzie Albies homer, Atlanta’s third big fly of the game, to cement the outcome.

Probable Pitchers

Looking to take a 2-0 lead in the series the Braves give the ball to 22-year-old Ian Anderson on Tuesday. With all the issues the staff had early in the regular season, Anderson was brought along quicker than the club probably would have liked, but boy are the Braves happy with the results. Anderson sported a 1.95 ERA in six regular season starts covering 32.1 innings with a 1.08 WHIP and 41 strikeouts. He’s been even better in the postseason giving up just five hits with 17 strikeouts over 11.2 scoreless innings.

With Walker Buehler throwing 5.0 innings in Game 1 and the possibility of playing seven games in seven days, Tuesday’s outing looms even larger for Kershaw. He had another strong regular season going 6-2 with a 2.16 ERA while allowing just 41 hits over 58.1 innings. He pitched eight shutout innings with 13 strikeouts to beat Milwaukee in the wild card round and has a 1.93 ERA with 19 strikeouts across 14.0 innings in the postseason. Kershaw is known as much for his October failures as his three Cy Young awards and he has the opportunity to define his legacy.

Tony Gonsolin, a rookie, was a last minute replacement for Kershaw.

Key Stat

The old baseball saying is good pitching stops good hitting. Considering batters fail more than 70 percent of the time it’s a good line to live by. However, the other 30 percent or so make a huge difference, and when a lineup is loaded with players who can hit, the offensive guys do get some revenge. Over the course of a seven-game series chances of producing more increase, and the Dodgers aren’t going to be kept down for long. They led the Majors in runs and homers during the regular season and have yet to break out in the playoffs with just three homers and 31 runs scored. There were 39 players who hit at least 12 home runs during the season, five them wear Dodger blue. It won’t be long until they bust out the whoopin stick.

Bet Braves vs. Dodgers at BookMaker.eu

The Dodgers should be getting used to their surroundings having been in Arlington for over a week. They aren’t facing a banged up San Diego staff and they should be hitting the baseball better than they have been. Atlanta’s brilliant run of pitching is going to end and the Dodgers are feeling some pressure to bust out. Kershaw will give them a solid start and the bats will awaken to even the series.

MLB Score Prediction: *Dodgers 6, Braves 4

*Prediction made prior to Kershaw being scratched

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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com