In the Braves’ eyes, Game 2 might’ve been lost by a botched first inning.
Hyun-Jin Ryu was brilliant in Game 1, helping the Dodgers shut out the Braves. Game 2 essentially became must-win – against Clayton Kershaw, one of the all-time greatest starters – for the Braves to have any chance in this National League Division Series.
Ronald Acuna led off Friday’s game with a double, already surpassing Thursday’s offensive output of six two-out singles. Dodger Stadium grew quieter for a moment, and the Braves had their chance at a lead.
Johan Camargo hit a comebacker to Kershaw. Freddie Freeman grounded to second. Nick Markakis struck out. Three of the team’s most celebrated players, each of whom has come through in the clutch, couldn’t clear the infield against the Dodgers southpaw.
Kershaw would go on to toss eight shutout innings, permitting just one more hit along the way. He didn’t allow another Brave to reach third.
The Dodgers’ Manny Machado took the remaining wind out of the Braves’ sails in the bottom of the first. Braves starter Anibal Sanchez surrendered a double to Joc Pederson. He retired Justin Turner and Max Muncy to bring up Machado with Pederson at third.
Machado drew a 3-0 count. Conventional wisdom says to walk him, putting runners at the corners and two down for Yasiel Puig. Sanchez threw him a strike that landed in the bleachers.
“I said ‘He’s not going to pitch to him’,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “And I had the option of walking him. That’s my fault. The pitch he hit, those guys don’t get that ball. But I can take it out of (Sanchez’s) hands too.”
Snitker is correct. He could’ve called for a walk, but let it ride assuming Sanchez wouldn’t throw one in the zone. Sanchez, however, stayed on the attack.
“You try to execute a pitch, 3-0 count, you want to throw a pitch for a strike, especially (with) how good of a hitter Machado is,” he said. “And I know for some reason at that moment, that’s why I tried to execute the pitch. But he put a really good swing on it.”
The Braves were in a near-immediate two-run deficit. Fourteen hitters in a row couldn’t reach base after Acuna’s double. The Dodgers have been here, done that; they knew how to take advantage of a team that looked self-conscious of its own struggles.
“I thought this whole game could’ve changed if I came through in that first inning,” Freeman said. “If we score a run right there I think it quiets this crowd. They came right back and punched us in the mouth. Me not getting the job done changed the game. If I come through there, I think it’s a different ballgame.”
A team already up against the wall, the Braves could ill afford to waste any scoring opportunities. They didn’t get another runner to third until the ninth, when Acuna advanced on defensive indifference. They didn’t have a single runner reach third in Game 1.
It’s not to say the Braves would’ve won had Acuna scored that first run, but it certainly could’ve provided a jolt. Fumbling their first chance at a lead was a tone-setter.
“We had that chance in the first inning,” Freeman said. “We needed to score that run. I got into a hitter’s count and hit it right at Kike (Hernandez). If I hit that four feet to the left, it’s up the middle. If I hit it four feet to the right, it’s through.”
Freeman summed up the Braves’ fortune through their first two postseason games. They look like a team that wasn’t expected to be here.
They now face a tougher task than any this season: Win three straight against the defending National League champions. Their comeback bid begins Sunday at SunTrust Park.
“Obviously 0-2 is not what we wanted, but that’s where we’re at,” Freeman said. “We’ve got to start doing something Sunday or we’re going to be going home and I’ll see you guys (media) at Chop Fest (in the offseason).”
