The Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers meet Tuesday in Game 3 of the NLCS in MLB action at Dodger Stadium. The Braves can take a commanding 3-0 series lead with a victory here. The Dodgers need a win here to get back in the series, down 0-2.
The Atlanta Braves have scored 13 runs in their last three games and three or fewer runs in four of their last six games. The Braves have won three straight games when scoring three or fewer runs. Eddie Rosario leads the Braves with nine hits and three RBI while Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies have combined for 15 hits and six RBI. Charlie Morton gets the ball, and he was 14-6 with a 3.34 ERA and 216 strikeouts this season. Morton is 7-4 with a 3.44 ERA and 81 strikeouts in his postseason career.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have scored eight runs in their last three games and three or fewer runs in five of their last eight games. The Dodgers have lost three of their last four games when scoring three or fewer runs. Mookie Betts leads the Dodgers with 12 hits and four RBI while Will Smith and Trea Turner have combined for 15 hits and five RBI. Walker Buehler gets the ball, and he was 16-4 with a 2.47 ERA and 212 strikeouts this season. Buehler is 3-2 with a 2.50 ERA and 92 strikeouts in his postseason career.
The Braves are 5-0 in their last 5 playoff games and 9-3 in their last 12 games following an off day. The Dodgers are 40-13 in their last 53 home games and 45-15 in their last 60 overall. The under is 4-1 in Braves last 5 road games. The over is 6-2 in Dodgers last 8 home games. The Braves are 17-35 in the last 52 meetings in Los Angeles and 18-40 in the last 58 meetings.
The Los Angeles Dodgers should be favored at home with Buehler on the mound and in a must win spot, down 0-2 in the series. However, the Braves and the big plus money are hard to turn down with the way they've played this postseason. The Braves have some sort of magic on their side, and the confidence builds game by game. Morton hasn't gone deep into previous postseason games, but he's been terrific on the road, where he has a 3.06 ERA and .185 allowed batting average. The line is probably accurate, but I'm riding the Braves and the potential big payout.