It felt like the largest two-run deficit in postseason history.
The inexperienced Braves, fresh off being shut out in Game 1, fell behind the Dodgers swiftly in Game 2. Manny Machado’s homer staked Clayton Kershaw a pair of support runs. The lefty took it from there.
As such, the Braves lost again in Los Angeles. They didn’t score a run in two games, becoming the first since the 1921 Giants to be held scoreless in their first two postseason games.
They had only two runners reach third, one of which came on a defensive indifference in the ninth inning Friday. Their two best starters, Mike Foltynewicz and Anibal Sanchez, combined for 6-2/3 innings.
The Braves’ season wasn’t a mirage. They’ve just run into a buzzsaw, the class of the National League. Hyun-Jin Ryu and Clayton Kershaw pitched their best outings in their postseason careers. The Braves are a loss away from elimination in the National League Division Series.
“We’re not going to give excuses,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “Nothing is happening right now. Maybe on Sunday … we can get a win and carry that momentum and reel off three in a row.
SunTrust Park hosts Game 3 on Sunday, and if the Braves were to prevail, they’ll have hometown support again Monday. But the thought of the Braves even winning a game is growing distant. Vegas lowered their championship odds to 100-to-1, the worst among all playoff teams.
Manager Brian Snitker is contemplating changes. He’s already elected to start lefty Sean Newcomb over Kevin Gausman. Expect a shuffled lineup (Ender Inciarte will hit second, for instance) with the same names. But realistically, there’s only so much the potential manager of the year can do.
“We are what we are,” Snitker said. “We’re a pretty set lineup. We’re not deep in our bench. Haven’t been all year. I don’t know that moving guys around and giving different looks in the lineup when you’re swinging the bats like we are is even the answer.”
When the dust settles, the Braves will be a better team after the NLDS. The experience factor matters – ask the Dodgers. The Braves must walk before they run.
Note the Chicago Cubs, whose return to the postseason included a series victory over St. Louis before the Mets defeated them. The Cubs broke their drought the following year. Even the great Astros, who might be improved from last season’s championship team, endured elimination while rising from the ashes.
These very Dodgers, whom Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos helped construct, have won six consecutive NL West titles and still possess no rings to show for it. Winning in the postseason is hard, as the inexpert Braves have learned.
Most pegged the Braves’ win total in the 70s, with some optimists floating into the 80s. They won 90, and while the NL East was proved futile, the Braves were supposed to be a reason why, not the franchise that took advantage of it.
Ronald Acuna should be a mega-star. Ozzie Albies, Johan Camargo, Dansby Swanson and a parade of pitchers progressed in some facet. The team has spending room and ample trade chips to substantially improve.
The Braves should be extremely proud of how the year has unfolded. Much more went right than not, and regardless of how the NLDS concludes, 2018 was just a starting point. This shouldn’t be their last taste of October with their new core. Those players will have several games as reference, even if it isn’t the most endearing highlight reel.
