The rematch of the 2018 NLDS went about the same as it did last October, as Los Angeles swept the series to knock Atlanta back under .500.
The Braves are in the middle of a tough road stint, trying to take hold of the NL East and prove themselves as a force to be reckoned with. They move a state over to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks today through Sunday.
Last night’s battle of the aces proved challenging for the Braves, as they couldn’t take hold of the nauseating Dodgers. Their success against the boys in blue hasn’t been fruitful for years, especially away from home.
#Braves lose 9-4. Swept at Dodger Stadium, where they have been no match for the home squad over past 6 yrs. Braves are 6-21 here since beginning of the 2013 season, including four playoff-game losses. ATL has been outscored 78-33 in 14 total games vs. Dodgers since start of ‘18.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) May 9, 2019
The lone offensive silver lining came in the form of a two-run homer from none other than superstar left fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. It was the first home run against Kershaw by a Brave since Freddie Freeman took him deep back in 2011.
Atlanta looks for better fortunes out west as they take on Arizona tonight. The pitching matchup is more or less even, plus or minus a few earned runs and a few years in age.
Mike Soroka: 3-1, 1.14 ERA
What else can we say about Mike Soroka that hasn’t been said already? The rookie phenom is killing it on the mound, posting a .182 opponent batting average with 27 strikeouts and an impressive 1.14 ERA. He’s allowed less than two earned runs in each of his starts this season and looks to stay hot against a lineup with the likes of Ketel Marte and Eduardo Escobar – who are streaking of late.
Luke Weaver: 3-1, 3.29 ERA
The young arm out of Arizona aims to keep up his outstanding work on the bump tonight. Weaver’s been dealing all season long, barring the lone loss against San Diego. He’s posted no more than three runs in an outing since getting rocked in his first start back in March. Tonight, Weaver goes up against an Atlanta offense that’s had little success out west. They have a .233 season average against the D-Backs with three homers and nine RBIs.
The Braves need to turn it around with a big win tonight, starting at 9:40 ET. You can catch all the action on Fox Sports South or with an active MLB.TV subscription.