Brandon Gaudin’s first season as the Braves’ play-by-play announcer for Bally is over. As the Braves open the playoffs, the telecasts move to national outlets. He’ll be watching as he now broadcasts football games, including this weekend’s Falcons-Texans game for Fox.
Gaudin spoke to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter about the Braves and the postseason. Here is one question and answer.
Q: How are you sizing up the playoffs and series against the Phillies?
A: They’ve got the Phillies, and then we’ll see who they play after that, likely the Dodgers. But it’s going to be a tough road. I expect this Phillies’ series to be a knockdown, drag-out fight. I expect, if they play the Dodgers in the next round, it would be a knock-down, drag-out fight. (Whomever) they would play in the World Series, the same.
I think obviously for Braves fans they got bounced early, unexpectedly, by Philadelphia last year. So, fans that may be apprehensive kind of see it as hey, here’s a chance to get revenge. Look, the Phillies are a really good team, but the Braves are the class of Major League Baseball this year. They have been from Day 1. So, I’m excited for the Atlanta Braves.
If you’re going to (have) me to pick a team of any in the postseason on either side of the ledger, American League or National League, there’s no question to me that the Braves are the go-to. Now, the Braves have had a couple of pitching injuries. But even through that, they’ve got the most powerful lineup in baseball. So, anytime I think about somebody saying well, but the Phillies have this or the Dodgers have this, you’ve just got to remind yourself that there are 29 other teams in Major League Baseball, Dodgers and Phillies included, that when they look at the Braves, they’re saying, ‘Wow, that’s the best team in baseball.’ So, certainly Atlanta is the team to beat.
