Series shifts to Atlanta with momentum on Braves’ side

LOS ANGELES — Momentum has officially — and swiftly — shifted.

The Braves return from California on Monday having split two games with the Dodgers and, seemingly, now having the upper hand in the best-of-five National League Division Series. A 3-2 win Sunday puts the NL East champs in position to possibly win the series at Truist Park on Wednesday.

Easier said than done, of course.

But with ace Chris Sale on the mound Tuesday, and with Tyler Mahle taking the ball Wednesday, the Braves won’t be flying by the seat of their pants in trying win exclusively with bullpen arms, as they did over the weekend at Dodger Stadium.

“Getting the split in this place against these guys, yeah, it’s awesome,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said after Sunday’s win. “Look, (Saturday) we talked about our ‘pen being not at full strength and not chasing — not being in position to chase a game from behind (Saturday). I think losing the way we did (Saturday) allowed us to do what we did tonight and gain the split.

“You want to win every game, obviously. We also have to think about how to win a series. So you have to take all those things into consideration.”

Between Saturday and Sunday, the Braves used 10 relief pitchers in the first two games against the Dodgers. They totaled 17 innings and only four of those 10 pitchers allowed what amounted to seven runs.

Dylan Dodd and Ray Kerr, both left-handers, combined to pitch 5⅔ scoreless innings as they were asked to start in a postseason setting. Their bullpen mates couldn’t do enough to carry the Braves to victory Saturday, then they did more than enough to do so Sunday.

Didier Fuentes was part of the heroics Sunday with 3⅔ hitless innings before Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy hit a two-out, solo homer in the ninth. Raisel Iglesias then threw a three-pitch save.

“It wasn’t the plan, believe me. When I went to (Fuentes) in the sixth, I was thinking I’ve got to get the last four innings between him and Iglesias,” Weiss said. “To be honest with you, I thought it would probably be most likely two (innings) and two, but ‘Didi’ was throwing the ball so well, I didn’t want to mess with that. After his third inning (in the eighth), I looked at our pitching coach (Jeremy Hefner), (and said) ‘Let’s see how he feels. If he feels good enough, I want to send him back out.’ I didn’t want to mess with a good thing. He was throwing the ball really well.

It almost worked out that they didn’t need Iglesias.

“Iglesias is one of the best closers in the game. I just didn’t want to mess with a good thing,” Weiss said. “I was going to give (Fuentes) one baserunner. It was hitter-to-hitter in the ninth. He happened to get two quick outs. I was going to Iglesias the first hitter that got on. Gave up the homer to Muncy, and that obviously was time. But I don’t want to get in the way of a good thing.”

The meticulous planning and strategizing didn’t garner two wins in Los Angeles. It did, however, buy Sale more time — he started last Tuesday’s win over the Phillies then got the final four outs in Thursday’s Game 3, as well. There was a strong possibility the Braves could have had him start Sunday’s game.

Instead, the 37-year-old will now be well rested when facing the Dodgers on Tuesday.

“I think whenever you have Sale on the mound, you’ve seen it the last couple years about what he can do,” Braves catcher Drake Baldwin said. “You feel good whenever you’re playing at home and Sale’s on the mound. Being tied, you feel a little bit better than being down 0-2.”

The Dodgers will be starting Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a right-hander, on Tuesday. That’s a tall task for a Braves’ offense that hit a measly .161 in the first two games of the NLDS against Dodgers starting pitchers Tarik Skubal and Blake Snell, respectively.

Braves hitters have struck out 19 times. They’ve left 15 men on base. For the postseason, Baldwin, Matt Olson, Austin Riley and Ronald Acuña Jr. are a combined 11-for-72 (.153) with seven RBIs.

They have to try to improve those numbers against not only Yamamoto on Tuesday, but Tyler Glasnow on Wednesday.

“We’ve got to face more Cy Young Award winners,” Weiss said. “Every starter on their staff is a Cy Young guy. It doesn’t get any easier.”