Chris Sale Leads Braves Vs Dodgers Game 1 Matchup in Los Angeles
The braves vs dodgers series opens tonight in Los Angeles with Chris Sale against Emmet Sheehan in game one. Atlanta arrives after a day of rest and is set to lean on the top half of its rotation while Los Angeles goes with the bottom half of its own.
Sale And Sheehan
Sale carries a 2.14 ERA into the matchup, and his recent stretch has been strong enough to make one rough outing stand out. On April 6, he surrendered six runs in a 4.0 inning start, but in every other outing he has gone at least six innings and has not allowed more than one earned run.
His last three starts point in the same direction. Over that run, he averaged 6.2 innings, 3.0 hits, 0.7 earned runs, 2.0 walks and 9.0 strikeouts. That is the version Atlanta needs against a Dodgers lineup that can punish mistakes early.
Dodgers Bats Against Sale
Freddie Freeman has nine at-bats against Sale and has produced a.333 average, a 1.222 OPS and one home run. Teoscar Hernández has an.818 OPS against him, and no other Dodgers hitter has an OPS above.708 against the left-hander.
That makes the matchup less about reputation and more about whether Sale can keep the rest of the order quiet. Shohei Ohtani is in that mix too, which gives Los Angeles multiple paths to a crooked inning if Sale leaves pitches in the zone.
Braves Power Profile
Atlanta brings hard-contact numbers that fit the shape of this game. The Braves are third in MLB in barrels per plate appearance, eighth in hard-hit percentage, first in batted balls and second in balls hit 95.0 MPH or harder.
Sheehan has a 5.23 ERA and a 4.31 xERA, and his split between surface numbers and expected production gives Atlanta a reason to attack the middle of the zone. He is in the top 25.0 percent of the league in strikeout and walk rates, but also in the bottom 36.0 percent in barrel percentage and the bottom 42.0 percent in hard-hit rate.
The series setup puts pressure on Los Angeles immediately. Atlanta is using one of its stronger rotation arms, and the Dodgers are asking Sheehan to hold down a team built to drive the ball hard and often.
