Braves back home, looking for their first NLDS run against the Dodgers
Game 3 is Sunday night at 8:07 p.m. ET, on FS1
The Atlanta Braves need a win on Sunday to stay alive in their National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. But first they need to score at least a run, something they failed to do in the first two games of the series in Los Angeles.
First it was Hyun-jin Ryu and his seven scoreless innings for the Dodgers in Game 1. Then it was the efficient Clayton Kershaw, who only needed 85 pitches for his eight scoreless innings in Game 2. Now in Game 3 the Braves have to face Walker Buehler, who posted a 1.55 ERA in his last 12 starts.
Braves vs. Dodgers TV & streaming info
- Teams: Dodgers (92-71) vs. Braves (90-72)
- Series: Los Angeles leads, 2-0
- Location: SunTrust Park, Atlanta
- Time: 8:07 p.m. ET
- TV: FS1
- Online: Fox Sports Go
Only three teams in postseason history have pitched three straight shutouts — the 1905 New York Giants and the 1966 Baltimore Orioles, both in the World Series. The Braves will try to stop that Dodgers streak in Atlanta, where the Braves averaged 4.82 runs per game in 2018.
“We just want to score,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said on Saturday. “I mean, I think if we could come out early and put something on the board, it would be a big lift for all of us.”
On the mound the Braves switched things up, turning to left-hander Sean Newcomb to start Game 3, breaking up a string of right-handed pitchers. The Dodgers scored nine runs in the first two games at Dodger Stadium, including five home runs off right-handed pitching.
Newcomb on the mound likely means playing time for David Freese, Matt Kemp, Chris Taylor and Brian Dozier, the Dodgers’ usual starters against southpaws. Newcomb came within one out of a no-hitter against the Dodgers in Atlanta on July 29, but since then has struggled with a 5.68 ERA in his last 44⅓ innings.
Newcomb pitched a pair of scoreless innings in relief in Game 1, throwing 25 pitches.
FS1 will televise Game 3 of the NLDS, with Joe Davis and John Smoltz on the call. Online streaming is available through Fox Sports Go.