The Los Angeles Dodgers improved to 6-0 in their last six home games against the Atlanta Braves with their 6-5 comeback win on Tuesday night. The Dodgers can tie the series up at 2-2 with another win over the Braves at home on Wednesday.
- Date/Time: October 20, 2021, 8:08 p.m. ET
- Stadium: Dodger Stadium
- TV Coverage: TBS
- Sportsbook Odds: Dodgers -210 | O/U 8 runs (Line History)
- Braves vs Dodgers Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Dodgers have opened as -210 favorites in Game 4 with the Braves going off as +190 road underdogs. The total in this matchup is set at eight runs. Atlanta was 5-0 over its previous five games before Tuesday’s loss.
Starting Pitchers Analysis
The Braves had not announced their starting pitcher for Wednesday night at the time of this publication. This figures to be a bullpen day for Atlanta to keep ace Max Fried on pace to start on regular rest in Game 5 on Thursday.
Julio Urias came out of the bullpen in the eighth inning in Game 2 and allowed two earned runs in what many considered to be a head-scratching decision by Dave Roberts. Urias allowed only two earned runs in nine innings of work against the San Francisco Giants and will look to get back on track in his normal starting role in Game 4.
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Atlanta News & Notes
The Braves put up four runs in the fourth inning to chase Walker Buehler out of the game and scored another in the fifth inning to take a 5-2 lead over the Dodgers. Charlie Morton allowed only two runs over five quality innings. Everything seemed to be in place for Atlanta to take a commanding 3-0 NLCS lead over the heavily favored Dodgers.
But then it collapsed when Luke Jackson, who had a 1.98 ERA during the regular season and hadn’t allowed a run in six postseason appearances, gave up four runs in the bottom of the eighth. It will be very interesting to see how the Braves respond mentally in Game 4 after such a heart-breaking loss.
Los Angeles News & Notes
Cody Bellinger had the decisive strike in the Dodgers’ 6-5 win, hitting a three-run home run to tie the game at 5-5. This set the stage for Mookie Betts to drive in the go-ahead run with a double moments later. Betts had a down year by his standards in 2021 batting only .264 across 122 games, but this postseason he is batting .412 with five runs, five RBI and five multi-hit games.
Bellinger’s resurgence is way more surprising. The former MVP was one of the worst hitters in the majors this season with a ghastly .165 batting average across 315 at bats. Yet all of a sudden this postseason, Bellinger is batting .292 and has chipped in four runs, six RBI and three stolen bases.
How Atlanta Will Win
The Braves have proven they are good enough to compete with the Dodgers in this series with two wins and one near-miss last night. The same balanced offense and strong pitching they’ve had success with will give Atlanta another chance to win on Wednesday, barring anymore bullpen blowups.
How LA Will Win
Julio Urias will clearly give the Dodgers an advantage on the mound over whoever Atlanta throws out there. Tuesday’s eighth inning felt like a distinct turning point in the series; if Los Angeles carries the momentum of that win over into this game, the Braves will likely be in trouble.
Computer Pick: Dodgers ML (-220)
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Buy Sports Picks Now- Atlanta is 4-8 in its last 12 games against Los Angeles
- Los Angeles is 18-1 in its last 19 home game
- The UNDER is 8-4 in Atlanta’s last 12 October games
