Following a series sweep of the Cincinnati Reds, the Los Angeles Dodgers finish out their homestand with a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves.
Freddie Freeman makes his first start against his former team as a member of the Dodgers after signing a six-year deal with L.A. this past offseason. These three games figure to be emotional for Freeman after spending 12 seasons with the Braves and he has mentioned his excitement to see his former teammates.
After a four-hit game during Sunday’s series finale with the Reds, capped off with a stellar defensive play in the eighth inning, Freeman should be showered with more welcoming chants of “Freddie! Freddie!” that Dodgers fans chanted throughout the home stand.
Freeman is off to a hot start in 2022 with a .324 batting average. He is still looking for his power stroke, but a majority of his outs are a result of bad luck after hard-hit balls.
Clayton Kershaw makes his second start of the season and his first following his last outing in which he was pulled from the game after seven perfect innings against the Minnesota Twins. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed that the decision was difficult, but given where Kershaw is in his buildup it was a move that needed to be made.
Even though Kershaw is still working up his pitch count, his vintage performance was breathtaking, mouth-dropping, and flat-out incredible after he punched out 13 of the 21 batters he faced.
Kershaw will have a longer leash tonight if he has the opportunity to go deep in the game against the defending World Series champion Braves.
The Braves will counter with Huascar Ynoa, who is making his second start of the 2022 season after getting tagged for five earned runs and seven hits, over three innings against the Washington Nationals.
Ynoa was 4-6 with a 4.05 ERA over 18 outings during the 2021 regular season. He missed three months with a fractured right hand after starting the campaign as one of baseball’s hottest pitchers. He struggled to maintain his effectiveness after returning from injury and was seldom used in the postseason for the Braves.
Former Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen also returns to Chavez Ravine for the first time as a member of the Braves. The Dodgers tried to bring him back, but it is reported they wanted to shed salary prior to offering him a contract.
Jansen has two saves on the year in four appearances with a 6.75 ERA, but has held opponents without runs in each of his last three outings.
After their nine-run outburst, the Dodgers rank second in MLB in runs, with a team wOBA of .327 and a wRC+ of 106.
Although they are statistically one of the top offenses in baseball, the majority of their runs have come in one inning each game, so the players want to find more consistency throughout the game.
Dodgers lineup
RF: Mookie Betts
1B: Freddie Freeman
SS: Trea Turner
2B: Max Muncy
3B: Justin Turner
C: Will Smith
CF: Cody Bellinger
DH: Edwin Ríos
LF: Gavin Lux
Braves lineup
2B: Ozzie Albies
1B: Matt Olson
3B: Austin Riley
DH: Marcell Ozuna
CF: Adam Duvall
C: Travis D’Arnaud
LF: Orlando Arcia
RF: Guillermo Heredia
SS: Dansby Swanson
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