Packed with great pitching and some red hot talent, the Los Angeles Dodgers' are scheduled to begin the second part of their World Series run in the NLDS. Here is the schedule with opponents, game time and dates of the first couple of games that have already been mapped out.
Opponents: Atlanta Braves
Game Dates & Time: Game 1- Thursday, Oct. 3, 8:30 p.m. ET
Game 2- Friday, Oct. 4, 6 p.m. ET
Game 3- Sunday, Oct. 6, TBD
Let's just start with the first three games of the series. Though the Braves are a very good team, they were one of the streakiest in 2013. The Braves present a good lineup that many would say underachieved this season. They won the N.L. East by a wide margin, dethroning the Washington Nationals. The Braves have great pitching, but with their streaky offense and the Dodgers' starting pitching, Atlanta might chop itself out of the postseason.
The Dodgers have one of the better starting rotations in baseball. They finished first in baseball with a 3.13 ERA, collecting 841 strikeouts (4th) and holding opponents to a .245 batting average (3rd). Headed by Clayton Kershaw, who is opening the series for the Dodgers, L.A.'s new pitching staff has been explosive. Zach Greinke has made solid contributions, posting a 15-4 records. Hyun-Jin Ryu brought his talents over from Korea and proved he could hang with the best of them in the big leagues. Then there was the midseason acquisition of Ricky Nolasco that gave the Dodgers' pitching staff incredible depth. He went 8-3 in 15 starts with a 3.56 ERA.
Kershaw racked up 232 strikeouts, followed by Ryu with 154 and Greinke with 148. Aside from Kershaw's numbers, the rest are not impressive, but when they decide to dominate, these Dodger pitchers can strikeout any of the hottest hitters in the league. The Braves are strikeout prone, tying third in the majors with 1,384 strikeouts in the season. Combine that with a .249 team batting average and you have to like the Dodgers' chances in this series.
The Dodgers will start the playoffs on the road where they went 45-36. No other team in baseball made home field a reality the way the Braves did in 2013. They went 56-25 at Turner Field.
