Dodgers: Dodgers Vs Braves Position by Position Breakdown

“When it’s all said and done the Dodgers will be at the top of the division” – Dave Roberts. Well, he was right. Now, after winning a decisive game 163 to win their 6th consecutive NL West title, the Dodgers can shift their attention to the young Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.

Let’s take a look at how these teams stack up against each other.

Two teams who helped each other before the start of the season now square off in the division series. Perhaps, the story of the off-season for the Dodgers was re-acquiring all-star Matt Kemp while dumping big contracts and getting under the salary tax threshold.

The Dodgers were not the only side able to reap the benefits from that trade. While the Dodgers were able to get rid of big contracts with 1 year remaining, the Braves got rid of a big contract with 2 years remaining. Not just, a huge help financially but allowed Ronald Acuña to start every day. Kemp’s movement to LA gave Acuña a shot to breakout as he is likely en route to a NL ROY award.

The last time these two teams faced off in the playoffs was back in 2013. The first of what would be 6 consecutive NLDS appearances for the Dodgers while also being the last time the Braves played in October.

This series was won by the Dodgers in 4 games. Thanks to some questionable management decisions by Atlanta and a heroic home run a by a fan favorite Juan Uribe as a disgusted Craig Kimbrel watched from the bullpen. These teams are completely different from what they were in 2013, so let’s look how they match up on a position-by-position basis.

Infield

The Dodgers infield looks nothing like what anybody expected entering the season. Outside of Justin Turner at third base everything is different from what was expected entering 2018. The Dodgers have a nice mix of players. From a former World Series MVP to a player who is making his first postseason appearance, this infield has it all.

Assuming Roberts sticks to his match-up lineups (which is highly likely) here is what the infields would look like. Against right handed starters: Muncy-Hernandez-Machado-Turner-Grandal. Against left handed starters: Freese-Dozier-Machado-Turner-Grandal.

At first base the match-up is much closer than it may seem at first glance. Freddie Freeman is one of the best first basemen in baseball, he is a 3-time all-star and if the position wasn’t so loaded in the NL it would be more. This season was no different, Freeman slashed .309/.388/.505 in 2018.

Meanwhile Muncy has not been too shabby slashing .263/.391/.582. Since joining the Dodgers Freese is slashing .464/.545/.786 against LHP. Even after all of that Freeman is an elite defender which gives him a slight advantage over Muncy and Freese. It is a very slim margin but the braves get the edge at first base.

Second base is another intriguing matchup. Hernandez has exploded at the plate over the last month. He had an OPS of .973 over the last two months of the season. Albies of the Braves went in the complete opposite direction and fell off the map over the last 2 months of the season. After the All-Star break the early MVP candidate slashed .226/.282/.342. Because of the more recent success and the fact that Hernandez has proven he can perform on a big stage, advantage Dodgers at this position.

Manny Machado vs. Charlie Culberson. As much as I have and will forever have a soft spot in my heart for Charlie Culberson, this is not very close. The Braves young Shortstop Dansby Swanson will be out of the NLDS with a hand injury, but even if he was healthy the Dodgers would still have the edge. Manny Machado is electric and hungry for a ring and a big contract, playing well could get him both.

Yet another young and exciting player for the braves starts at third base. Johan Camargo has been very good this season, hitting .272 with 19 home runs in 134 games this year. But, Justin Turner is entering the postseason red hot. Over his last 2 months, Turner had OPS of 1.079. He is also one of the best postseason performers in baseball. Advantage Dodgers.

At Catcher the Braves have a pretty much even workload split between Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki. The Dodgers had originally tried this but Austin Barnes was playing woeful baseball, thus giving Grandal significantly more appearances. Grandal is either hot or cold, no in between. Nonetheless, Grandal creates a presence in the lineup that Suzuki or Flowers just don’t provide, advantage Dodgers.

Overall The Dodgers have the advantage in the infield against the NL East champions.

Dodgers 1-0

Outfield

The Braves outfield is pretty much set in stone. You have the stud rookie Ronald Acuña in left field, with veterans Ender Inciarte and Nick Markakis manning center and right field respectively. The strengths are clearly on the corners for this outfield. Nothing against Inciarte who is a nice player, but Markakis and Acuña are having impressive years.

Ronald Acuña had a ridiculous streak of leading games off with bombs until Mattingly and the Marlins dosed him. The 20-year-old kid is absolutely electric. He is the soul of this team. He will likely be the Rookie of the year this season and for good reason. He has 19 home runs and a 1.028 OPS since the all-star break. He has been on a tear since the break and is one of the bats to keep an eye on this series.

Nick Markakis on the other hand has regressed since the all-star break but he will always be a tough out. He is going to be a pesky guy to get out for the Dodgers. He finally got an all-star appearance this season for the first time in his career. He has always been good, this season he finally got the nod because he took that one step forward in the first-half.

For the Dodgers, it looks like a full on platoon at every against RHP: Pederson-Bellinger-Puig, against LHP Roberts has liked using some combo of Taylor-Kemp-Hernandez and sometimes Puig. We shall see how Roberts will play this but it doesn’t seem like Roberts will change his matchups.

Taylor who started the year on a hangover from his breakout 2017, has been very good as of late. Pederson is explosive at the top of the lineup. Bellinger is explosive anywhere he is. Puig has been torching balls all year, his luck has been off and on but the hard hit balls have been constant. Matt Kemp has been better after his awful slump immediately after the break.

This Dodgers outfield is good but also unpredictable at times. Ronald Acuña has been elite in the second half. Nick Markakis is a quiet player who will just be one of those guys you would hate to see up to bat in critical situations as a Dodger fan. Inciarte plays gold glove defense and his 28 stolen bases could be huge. Because of this slight advantage to the Braves in the outfield.

Tied 1-1

Bench

The Dodgers have the deepest bench in baseball. Their depth is what Andrew Friedman consistently focuses on. This focus on depth helps this team get through rough patches injury wise, but, when fully healthy it creates a plethora of scary late inning bats.

That’s what it comes down to in October. Late inning at bats, the Dodgers bench will grant them the advantage of putting a real threat at the plate any given moment. It really is scary for the opposing team when there is no real drop off when a bench player enters the game.

The Dodgers have one of the most clutch hitters in post season history with David Freese at their disposal off the bench. Even if he is starting, Max Muncy is on the bench with his 36 home runs. The only real weak spot on the bench is Austin Barnes and even he has picked it up since his rough start to the season in 2018.

As of writing this the 25-man rosters are not out yet. There are 24 players that everybody can agree on. It is the final spot that is up for grabs between relievers and bench players. Personally, I would love to see Verdugo or Locastro get the spot. Verdugo is another outfield option and a calm player at the plate who can handle the big stage. Locastro would be a deadly pinch runner off the bench.

On the Braves, Adam Duvall and Lucas Duda pop out as a late inning threats off the becnh. But, Duda is questionable to be on the roster with a back injury. Culberson being forced to start weakens their bench even more. Thus leaving Duvall as the only real threat off the bench

Advantage Dodgers in a landslide.

Dodgers 2-1

Bullpen

This Dodger bullpen is significantly better than it was earlier in the season. It has added some reinforcements from the starting rotation as well as some nice pieces from trades.

Pedro Baez has finally been the reliable piece that Roberts thought he was last season. Baez has become what everyone imagined he once would become. He has earned the role of a high leverage guy come October. Caleb Ferguson has also emerged as a solid bullpen piece and at one point was the most reliable reliever in that bullpen

The reinforcements from the rotation have also been really good. Kenta Maeda and Alex Wood have both proven they can come out of the bullpen and be effective. Ross Stripling is a question mark to make the roster but he was also a rotation reinforcement.

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Scott Alexander has finally turned into the pitcher the Dodgers traded for. After being sent down to the minors earlier on in the season, Alexander has proven to be one of the most reliable relievers out of the bullpen. He has been used in many roles, from a multiple inning guy to a matchup guy, but either way he has performed. Dylan Floro is filthy, that’s all I have to say about him.

Never would I have guessed that one of the most worrisome pitchers coming out of the bullpen would be Kenley Jansen. He started the year bad, but found traction and started pitching like his old self again. However, a trip to Colorado changed all of that. He has been hit or miss since missing time due to an irregular heartbeat. Hit or miss is not a phrase you want to associate with your closer.

For Atlanta the bullpen is probably the weakest link for them. The Atlanta bullpen has allowed the second most amount of walks in the NL behind only the Marlins. That is usually a recipe for disaster in October, just ask any Dodger fan. This is even more the case with a team as patient as the Dodgers.

With all of that said the Dodgers get the advantage here, if Jansen can figure it out, this bullpen will be among the best in the playoffs.

Dodgers 4-1