The moment you dream of as a kid. Bottom of the 9th, bases loaded, two outs, two strikes, facing the top closer in the game, the entire game all comes down to this. Jackson Chourio lived that moment, he was born for that moment, and he delivered in that moment.

Chourio ripped a 109.5 MPH line drive back up the middle, past the diving glove of Jake Cronenworth. Yelich scored easily, Jackson Merrill fielded the ball cleanly in center, Sal Frelick was getting waved home, it was going to be close. The throw was just a bit wide and Freddy Fermin couldn’t come up with it cleanly, but it didn’t matter anyway because it looked like Frelick was going to be safe regardless.

The Brewers escape with a 2-0 series lead, which is remarkable because for most of this game, the Brewers did not look like the team that deserved to win it.

Logan Henderson was doing a solid job of keeping the Brewers in the game, despite the Padres continuing to work counts against him. Henderson had nearly struck out the side in the first inning, but a check swing by Manny Machado was ruled to have not gone, which led to a walk. Then a wild pitch put Machado on second, followed by Ty France slapping a single to the opposite field to give the Padres a 1-0 lead. Henderson rebounded to retire eight straight.

But the Brewers defense had some uncharacteristic struggles in this game. In the 5th, Brice Turang completely missed an easy double-play ball up the middle and it went right through his legs. That put runners at the corners with one out. With a chance for redemption on the next play, Turang fielded it cleanly and got the lead out, but Pratt’s relay to first was short and couldn’t be picked, which was another error and meant another run came around to score. That made it a 2-0 Padres lead.

Meanwhile, Padres starter Michael King was cruising through most of this game. He made it through four perfect innings, retiring the first 14 batters he faced, before the Brewers finally broke through with two outs in the 5th inning. The captain, Christian Yelich, ripped a double into the right field corner. Yelich could’ve tried for third after Fernando Tatis Jr bobbled the ball, but shortstop Xander Bogaerts perfectly executed a deke, laying down a fake tag to convince Yelich the throw was coming in and to slide into second base.

Ultimately, that deke didn’t prevent Yelich from scoring when Sal Frelick singled to left on an 0-1 pitch.

Cooper Pratt followed with a single and the Brewers had two on for David Hamilton and a chance to tie the game and keep the rally going. But Hamilton ultimately popped out to third and the threat was ended.

Both managers went to their bullpens one batter into the 6th inning. That kept the game where it was at 2-1, until we got to the 7th.

The Padres added an insurance run after yet another defensive miscue, a fielding error by David Hamilton, allowed Fernando Tatis Jr to reach base. A walk to Manny Machado by Abner Uribe put Tatis on second, where he came around to score on a single by Ty France. But Sal Frelick was able to gun down Machado trying to head to third to end the inning, though Tatis had already crossed the plate and the run counted to make it a 3-1 Padres lead.

Milwaukee had a big chance in the 7th inning, starting with a Garrett Mitchell leadoff single. Yelich crushed a baseball to left-center and it seemed ticketed for extra bases, but Merrill ran it down and made a leaping grab. But a walk by Frelick and then a fielder’s choice by Pratt brought up David Hamilton. Hamilton a little dribbler toward second, Cronenworth bobbled then rushed the throw and threw it into the dugout. That brought Mitchell home and left runners on 2nd and 3rd for Chourio.

Chourio grounded out to short, seemingly dashing the Brewers best hopes to take the lead in this one with Mason Miller looming for the final two innings.

But the hopes clearly were not dashed.

It started with a walk from Yelich, followed by a stolen base, then a walk by Frelick. Murphy went to his veterans on the bench. Andrew Vaughn pinch-hit first, and flew out to center. Then it was up to Gary Sanchez, who worked the count full and drew a walk to load the bases for Chourio. Chourio got his chance at redemption and came through in the 9th inning for one of the most memorable postseason moments in franchise history.

This very well might be a “Where were you when?” kind of moment.

“He’s, I think, turning into a bona fide, top-flight player. Couldn’t be happier for him because he brings it every day.” Pat Murphy said.

“He loves those moments. And he knows how talented he is and what he can do on a baseball field. He can do anything. So when he comes up in that situation, just with everything that’s going on in that inning, you just feel good about it.” Christian Yelich said.

Chourio said back in September that he felt he was “born for those moments” when the game is on the line. He was asked when he first felt that way. Chourio said “I look back to my first year, my rookie year. It was a game against Seattle. And I think I was the last out, punched out against (Andres) Munoz. He was on the mound at the time. At that point, everything turned for me. I told myself i was never going to make the last out. I’d dedicate myself to fighting and doing whatever I could for the team and not having that feeling again from that specific game.”

That game was April 6, 2024. That was the only loss the Brewers had in that series against Seattle, they lost 5-3. It was a relatively non-descript game, nothing seemingly special about it. A random April game in Seattle during Chourio’s rookie year was the catalyst for him to become one of the best clutch hitters in the game. This was seven games into his MLB career. Truly special.

The Brewers could very easily be down 0-2 in this series. They didn’t play great in this one, especially defensively. They could’ve easily lost Game 1 as well. Instead, they are up 2-0 and in command of this series as it heads to San Diego.

When the lights shine the brightest, Jackson Chourio has risen to the occasion. He was born for those moments.

The curtain hasn’t closed on the White Sox yet this season, but it’s never too early to start thinking about the 2027 season-to-be-or-not-to-be. Entering next year with a payroll in the bottom third among all MLB teams and with a sizable pool of Triple-A talent to pull from, Chicago enters arbitration negotiations in an advantageous position. Of the six players who are eligible for arbitration, the Sox should keep three.

Miguel Vargas
Buying our Vargas’ next three years of arbitration would be the most strategic move from a financial and roster-management perspective. Coming off a breakout campaign where cracked the 30-home run threshold, more than doubled his WAR from last year, and took 101 free passes to first, Vargas is a player the Sox should focus on extending. At the plate and hot corner, he’s an integral to the success of the White Sox.

Even with three infield prospects among the Top 10, including new golden boy Roch Cholowsky, Vargas’ position on the field shouldn’t swing this decision. Vargas has played past his projected $5.4 million 2027 arbitration estimate, and tripling it to buy out his contract for the rest of the decade is a reasonable expectation for a team looking to squeeze every playoff game out of this young lineup. Going to arbitration over a guy who makes everyone in the lineup better and has been the heartbeat of the team for most of the season would be an egregious mistake.

Brenton Doyle
An August pickup at the trade deadline and the second-best glove in the outfield, Doyle’s projected $3.66 million arbitration is a fair price for his value. His perfect fielding percentage and the occasional pop in his bat outweigh his general inconsistency at the plate, and having a Gold Glove outfielder to pair with Tristan Peters when games come down to the wire will pay dividends, especially with Will Venable’s far-from-orthodox pitching philosophy.

Doyle may not be a starter, but the Sox need a veteran on the field to provide an extra line of defense and add stability to the young and streaky lineup. While Doyle doesn’t command a long-term deal, his presence isn’t taken for granted.

Huascar Brazobán
Brazobán hasn’t blown anyone’s socks off in Chicago, but cutting him loose would leave talent on the table. After bringing him onto the team in August, Brazobán’s performance dropped from the 2.56 ERA and 1.006 WHIP marks he set with the Mets earlier in the year. He knows how to miss bats, but when he came to the South Side he began to experience control issues. His 4.40 ERA and 1.395 WHIP after being traded may be a result of switching leagues, but it could also just be the typical volatility that comes with relievers. Either way, the Sox know he can pitch better, it’s just a matter of whether they can unlock that side of him.

Paying an estimated $1.6 million for a chance to bring out the best in Brazobán is worth the price of admission. Starting him out on the 40-man next spring also puts pressure on Brazobán to bring his A-game when he knows that several talented pitchers in Charlotte are chomping at the bit to snatch his spot. Competition and pressure will be the best way to see if Brazobán can exceed expectations.

Meeting these three players’ arb estimates and avoiding the ungainly process of a hearing still leaves three eligible players out in the cold. Catcher Joey Bart is in his final year of team control and will command an estimate $2.9 million; the White Sox undoubtedly prefer Jake Rogers as a veteran hand, especially because he will be less expensive. Reliever Chris Murphy, expected to earn just $900,000 in 2027, will be a game-time decision. And Jordan Leasure, rehabbing from TJS, expects only $1 million in arbitration but chances are the White Sox will not offer him seven figures.

Jackson Chourio delivered a walk-off RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Milwaukee Brewers to an improbable 4-3 win on Sunday, Oct. 4 and a 2-0 lead over the San Diego Padres in the NLDS.

Chourio’s single to center field with the bases loaded brought in Joey Ortiz with the winning run against Padres closer Mason Miller, who had walked three batters in the inning.

“I’m not sure what it is,” Chourio told Fox Sports after the game. “I just think these moments were made for me. I think it gives me extra adrenaline, and that’s what gets me through it.”

JACKSON CHOURIO IS THE WALK-OFF HERO IN GAME 2! pic.twitter.com/mZVRRVd4Xv

— MLB (@MLB) October 4, 2026

The 22-year-old outfielder also delivered for the Brewers in Game 1 Saturday, tying the game with a two-run homer in the bottom of the third inning.

The National League Division Series now moves to San Diego for two games, beginning Tuesday, Oct. 6.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WATCH: Jackson Chourio plates game-winner as Brewers walk off Padres

I have to say that the discussion on our article about whether or not to keep manager Torey Lovullo and GM Mike Hazen, might be one of the SnakePit’s finest hours. It’s obviously a contentious subject, but the comments were full of considered, well-expressed comments in all four corners of the discussion. Well done, folks. You don’t have to stray very far on the Internet to find cases where conversation on the topic was not as civil. It’s very much appreciated. Here’s how the voting eventually broke down.

Put another way, we can add up the categories and figure out how many people wanted to keep each man. So that’s what we’ll do, because they do deserve separate consideration.

Torey Lovullo: 75% keep

Ask, and ye shall receive. For, lo: the three-quarters who voted to retain Lovullo’s services received an early off-season present with the announcement on Thursday that Torey had accepted a contract extension for the next two seasons, taking him through the end of 2027. This makes sense on a number of levels. It lines his contract up with that of Hazen, which is really what you want. If the team decides to move on from Hazen after 2027, it’s likely the new GM would want his own manager, aligned appropriately, and this will allow Lovullo to leave/be let go without being fired. I think he deserves that respect, given the decent way he has behaved throughout his tenure.

It also allows for continuity over what promises to be a fraught negotiation between owners and players over the new CBA, with the likelihood of a lockout at the end of December. A shortened “spring” – quotes used advisedly – would present a tough ramp-up for a new manager, unfamiliar with the players except on the broadest level. This way, we have a manager (and, as important in some areas, coaches) who already has an understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. That should help the Diamondbacks be ready to go, out of the gate, whenever the season starts. With next year potentially more of a sprint than the usual marathon, that could be important.

Here’s a selection of comments from the post:

• LeftFieldCorNWer – “Given all the crippling injuries this year, coming in 10 games over Mt. 500 and staying in the hunt for a wild card slot in the toughest division in the league until the final weekend is a huge success.”
• piratedan7 – “There’s something to be said about the fact that TL is at the top of the speculation list for EVERY other job that is either open or speculated to be open.”
• C.Wesley Baier – “I think the real problem with Hazen and Lovullo is they have made decisions based on emotions rather than facts and logic. They took the wrong lessons from falling a** backwards into a world series run, and resigning Gurriel, Kelly, and Gallen wasn’t it.”
• Azdbcksfn1 – “I would rather lose with them playing Wally, Lawlar, Troy, Fernandez, and young guys getting experience than losing with Smith and Vargas. It would have been such valuable experience for them.”
• daybaseball – “Without Torey the wheels would have completely come off in 2026 from injuries and lack of timely hitting. Instead he had them playing nearly their best baseball of the season in the last week… It is near miraculous that they finished 10 games over .500 under those circumstances.”
• SnekBehindEnemyLines – “They went 28-21 in one-run games and actually won more games than their run differential suggested they should. At some point the guys on the field have to perform.”
• Johnneu – “The handling of the Marte saga was awful, again, and coddling him hurt the team. That sent a very poor message to the rest of the team. They played well without him in the lineup and I suspect they will not miss him next year.”
• WestCoastBaseball – “Being in the hunt until the 7th inning of game 162 with the under performance of key players, as well as, injuries and drama is a tremendous accomplishment… Torey masterfully maneuvered the pieces as well as any manager could.”
• JustRonM – “I don’t agree with the kid gloves handling of Marte and his subsequent torpedoing of team momentum the past three seasons, but overall we’d be hard pressed to get anyone better. The players like him, they play hard for him, and he’s a genuinely good human being.”
• GuruB – “Torey is one of the best managers in baseball, not all managers connect to his teams the way he does (go through a wall for him) Is he perfect? Absolutely Not. Right now, I am not sure there isn’t anyone better, that is available and in the DBacks Price Range.”
• Smurf1000 – “Torey is a phenomenal manager and a great leader. His best year as manager was probably this year, when he took a partially injured pitching staff, and a team with star players underperforming, and he managed to find ways to win, and finished 10 games over .500.”

Mike Hazen: 57% keep

The enthusiasm for Hazen was notably less, though still a majority. In particular, twenty-three percent of voters decided they wanted to retain Lovullo, but get a new GM. I think that’s fair. When it comes time to do our ratings for the year, I suspect Hazen’s grade will be considerably lower than Lovullo’s. This year, we saw mistakes like the signing of Zac Gallen, near-complete abdication of the first-base position, and lack of significant moves to strengthen the team (in particular, the starting rotation) at the trade deadline. Given the small margin by which the D-backs again missed the playoffs, the importance of these failures was certainly amplified.

However, we need to be fair, and give him credit for the things that worked. We’ll be going into more details about his best and worst moves tomorrow. But things like the Cardinals paying more money than the D-backs, for Nolan Arenado to hit thirty home-runs for Arizona, definitely fall into the former category. I suspect people understand that market size be damned, the Diamondbacks are still a small revenue franchise, and that trying to compete with the Dodgers and their multiple competitive advantages is never going to be easy. But there is clear room for improvement in the way the D-backs operate, especially in their development of pitching prospects.

As with Torey, here are some comments from the original post:

• Jeremy C. Young – “You can blame Hazen for signing the wrong pitchers, but honestly I loved most of those moves at the time he made them… At this point he might be a change of scenery candidate. If he won’t shake up the team, maybe he needs to be with a fresh team.”
• BTBaseball – “Mike has built a solid franchise over these 10 years… They have not found the formula Milwaukee and Tampa and to some extent Cleveland have found but they’re competitive. Keep Hazen – keep building.”
• DBackNation – “Losing guys like a Drew Hedman to the Cubs are the types of errors a true leader can’t afford to make… Having future core members of your executive leadership leave to go to a rival – that is where Hazen falls short.”
• doconnor – “With our budget and how juiced our division is, you can’t ask for more than being competitive. If your mindset is “WS or bust” then you’re going to have a bad time. You probably shouldn’t even watch baseball.“
• AZNailgal520 – “Every year he’s told that “payroll is being lowered” and it truly must be maddening to shop under those constraints! But Hazen smiles and never complains (outwardly) and plucks some very affordable diamonds in the rough, year after year. I think he’s a bit under appreciated.“
• SnekBehindEnemyLines – “Hazen has put together a pretty good core and made some really good moves along the way. I’d rather see them keep building on it and give some of the changes they’re making with pitching development a chance to work.”
• Preston Salisbury – “Hazen’s biggest issue has not been the big league roster. It’s in player development. Every player development success story happened primarily before Josh Barfield left for Chicago. The White Sox–notably–are in the postseason.”
• Prof – “I do not think that Hazen has earned more time. His consistent inability to identify good pitching –yes, Bumgarner, Montgomery, and colleagues e.g., we spent $40 mil this year on Gallen and Kelly! — and build effective bullpens is now legendary.”
• Kram Isterpf – “He’s made some good moves and some bad moves. What GM hasnt? Given the financial constraints, I think he’s done OK (not as well as Torey), but chances of finding better replacements for either seem pretty close to zero to me.”

It’s game 2 between the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday night in LA. Blake Snell gets the start for the billionaires Dodgers while the Braves have announced LHP Ray Kerr as their starter. First pitch scheduled for 7pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via Fox/FS1.

The Milwaukee Brewers are one win away from a return trip to the NCLS.

And for the second consecutive game, Jackson Chourio played the role of hero.

In Game 1, Chourio hit a two-run home run to tie the game early, opening the door for a solo shot off the bat of William Contreras for the eventual 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres on Saturday night. But Sunday in Game 2, Chourio and the Brewers walked it off for the win, against one of the best closers in all of baseball.

San Diego took a 3-2 lead to the bottom of the eighth inning, and the Padres called on closer Mason Miller to try to shut the door over a two-inning stint, and even the series before a return trip to the West Coast. Miller worked a perfect eighth inning, with a pair of strikeouts and a fly out, pushing the game to the ninth inning.

But that is when Miller got himself into a bit of trouble. After opening the inning with a groundout, Miller walked Christian Yelich and then walked Sal Frelick. A flyout for the second out of the inning pushed the Brewers to their final out, but that is when Miller walked catcher Gary Sánchez to load the bases.

And bring Chourio to the plate.

The Milwaukee outfielder fell down in the count 1-2, and after a foul he held off on a slider low and outside of the zone to even the count to 2-2. That’s when he jumped on the fifth fastball of the at-bat — all of which topped 100 miles per hour on the radar gun — lacing a 101-mph fastball up the middle for the game-winning hit:

The single up the middle brought both Yelich and Frelick to the plate, and sparked bedlam on the field and in the stands as the Brewers emptied the dugout and the bullpen to celebrate with the hero of the moment.

The series shifts to San Diego for Game 3, with the Brewers needing one more win to clinch a spot in the NLCS. Game 3 is set for Tuesday, October 6 at 9:30 p.m. Eastern.

We’re only hours away from first pitch of Game 2 of the NLDS and the Atlanta Braves will once again have another large hill to climb if they’re planning on getting a split in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.

We now know when Chris Sale’s next start will be: It’ll be Game 3 instead of Game 2, as Walt Weiss explained in the pregame press conference that he wasn’t comfortable with throwing Sale for a full start without him being 100 percent.

“We had a conversation this morning. Look, at the end of the day, we want full-strength Chris Sale,” stated Weiss. “I know him at 80 percent is really good, but that’s what it came down to. We’ve given him extra rest all year, and it’s served him very well. It allowed him to do what he did the other night, I think all the extra rest he’d gotten. He’d be on normal rest from his last start, but he had the outing in between. Not sure you’re getting the best version of him pitching today. We’re certain he will pitch in Game 3.”

Obviously, the next question from the media on hand at the press conference became whether or not Weiss regretted going to Sale while the Braves were in complete control of the winner-take-all Game 3 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Unsurprisingly, Weiss stuck with his guns in that regard and expressed no regrets about the decision and the ramifications it had for the NLDS.

“We needed to win that series, and that was our best chance to do it. So I have zero regrets about pitching Chris Sale in that last game,” confirmed Weiss. “For a number of reasons, we needed to win that series. I brought him in to face Harper, I believe, in the eighth. My thinking was I needed to keep him in the game because, if it happened to go sideways — and we played the Phillies a ton obviously. They’re very dangerous, especially when the lineup turns over. We saw the day before. So if it starts to go sideways and Sale is now out of the game, we’re in a tough situation. So he was going to stay in and finish that game, and I’m glad he did.”

Needless to say, there’s a bit of pressure on the Braves now to find a way to get the job done against Dodgers starter Blake Snell and the rest of the deep and talented Los Angeles pitching staff so that they can get to Chris Sale’s start with home field advantage in Atlanta instead of having their backs against the wall in another elimination game.

The pressure is evident but the team itself is trying their best to not let it affect their preparation. Ronald Acuña Jr. spoke with the media as well and he has complete faith in himself and his teammates to get the job done during Game 2. “I believe in my teammates, in the bullpen too. They do a really good job during all the season, so let’s see what happens today,” stated Acuña when he was asked about doing what it took to get a split in Los Angeles. “I would say I believe in my teammates. I think today they’ll do a really good job.”

“I love it when I face the pitchers that are superstars,” answered Acuña when he was asked about the challenge of going up against such talented pitchers that the Dodgers are liable to roll out on any given night. “Every time I go to the plate to compete, we’re trying to win, so I’m doing my best. As you know, these pitches, they’re [throwing] nasty ball[s]. We need to compete, every single pitch. So let’s see what happens.”

While he’s not in the lineup for tonight’s game, Ha-Seong Kim echoed a similar sentiment to Acuña and that leads me to believe that the clubhouse itself is remaining calm and steady heading into Game 2. “The clubhouse vibe is really good,” said Kim when he was asked about the vibes. “I think we as a group are pretty confident that we can win today and head back to Atlanta with a split here. So we’re going to make that happen.”

When Kim was also asked about whether or not he’s enjoying the moment or feeling the pressure, he chose to go in a different path. “It’s not really a matter of enjoying or feeling the pressure. It’s about just being out there and performing and producing,” answered Kim.

All eyes will be on Ray Kerr when it comes to potentially pulling off a repeat performance of Game 3 of the Wild Card Series, which is when Kerr performed and produced at a high level in order to help get the Braves to this point. While it’s definitely a tall order for Kerr to do it against a better lineup in Los Angeles, Walt Weiss and the Braves are still confident that he can pull it off.

“I’m going into the game thinking that could be the scenario. 47 pitches, two days off,” said Weiss when he was asked about the plan for Kerr. “Again, if he’s rolling, that will dictate what I do. But I go in thinking he may not go as far as he did the last time, but he could. I’m just going to watch and see what happens.”

That’s all we can do as fans, really. Hopefully Weiss will be able to push the buttons in similar fashion to Game 3 of the Wild Card Series and that things work out. Even if they don’t, it’ll also be on the players to perform to their best in order to lift up their teammates and everybody in the dugout as well. It’s tough task for the Braves heading into this contest but hopefully they’ll be able to do what it takes to make sure that this thing is all tied up heading back to Cobb County.

For the second consecutive playoff game, Michael King flirted with a no-hitter and while he ultimately couldn't preserve it, San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. made sure the possibility remained in play.

By the bottom of the fourth inning of NL Division Series Game 2, the Milwaukee Brewers had zero hits, no base runners and a perfect game certainly creeped into the ralm of possibility. And then, Jackson Chourio took a 82 mph sweeper out to right field where Tatis came flying in from the outfield to make an acrobatic, sliding grab to preserve a hit ending in a flyout.

King eventually lost his bid for perfection an inning later, though he still held a 2-1 lead. That was similar to his outing in Game 1 of the wild-card series, where he carried a no-hitter through 6 1/3 innings against the Chicago Cubs, eventually settling for seven shutout innings in the Padres' 3-0 victory.

After returning to the Braves roster for the NLDS round against the Dodgers but sitting out Game 1, Lane Thomas will be back in action for Game 2 of the series Sunday night at 8 p.m. (FS1) in Los Angeles.

Thomas had been sidelined since Sept. 7 with a strained left intercostal muscle, leaving Atlanta without half of its typical left field platoon. He’ll hit ninth and play in left for his first game back.

Also of note for Sunday’s lineup, Sean Murphy is not catching but is still in the lineup as the DH, hitting seventh, after homering Saturday. Ozzie Albies, who has homered in each of the last two games, is batting cleanup behind Drake Baldwin, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson. Mauricio Dubón moves back to shortstop in place of Ha-Seong Kim and will hit sixth.

The Dodgers are running back a nearly identical lineup to the one they used in Saturday’s Game 1. The only change, either in batting order or the players in the lineup, is plugging in Miguel Rojas at third base and in the eight hole for Max Muncy, who homered yesterday to make it a 5-1 game in the sixth at that time.

Members of the Braves’ NLDS roster are a combined 19-for-96 lifetime (.198) against Dodgers starter Blake Snell. Ozzie Albies (4-for-12, .333) and Sean Murphy (3-for-8, .375) are the only two hitters with averages above .286 against Snell, although Ronald Acuña Jr., Mauricio Dubón and Murphy have all homered off of him. Matt Olson is 4-for-18 (.222) with a pair of doubles and a team-high five RBIs against Snell despite being at a left-on-left disadvantage.

Overall, the Braves have struck out 34 times and walked 14 against Sale.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Dodgers have minimal experience against Braves opener Ray Kerr. Los Angeles’ active players are a combined 1-for-10 against him in five relief appearances from when he was with the San Diego Padres in 2022-23. Mookie Betts has the only hit but it was a three-run double. Los Angeles’ hitters have also worked more walks (two) against Kerr than strikeouts (one).

That doesn’t mean much in the scheme of things, however, as Kerr threw 47 pitches Thursday and could available for as little as one inning of work. The more telling trends as far as Sunday’s game is concerned are how the pitchers who could replace Kerr have fared against the Dodgers. Los Angeles’ hitters are a combined 8-for-35 (.229) against right-hander Grant Holmes with two homers and five RBIs, and have never faced Braves rookie right-hander JR Ritchie, another candidate to eat some bulk innings in Game 2.

Whether Chris Sale was going to get the ball or not was the big point of contention before this Game 2, but with Atlanta opting for another left-hander, Ray Kerr, the Dodgers’ lineup is mostly unchanged from the Game 1 victory. The only difference is Miguel Rojas filling in for Max Muncy, and even that one comes with minimal disruption in the order as Rojas takes the same spot batting eighth, only in front of Tommy Edman.

Kerr is unlikely to go deep into the game, having pitched 3.1 innings in his appearance in the previous round against the Phillies. Either way, Muncy, who homered in yesterday’s win, figures to play a role in this game at some point, easily being the Dodgers’ biggest threat off the bench versus right-handed relievers.

One of the better players for the Dodgers in the regular season, Andy Pages’ defensive value alone makes his presence worthwhile. Coming off a worrisome showing in this series opener, though, not only for the results—0 for 4 with three strikeouts—but also for just how overmatched he looked in those at-bats, the Dodgers’ starting center fielder has something to prove in this second game.

Meanwhile, Mookie Betts remains in the leadoff spot with Shohei Ohtani batting second. Betts didn’t score or drive in a run in Game 1, but he carried on his top form to end the regular season by reaching base twice in four plate appearances. The balance of this look against left-handed pitching is looking better and better.

Led by Pages’ three strikeouts, the Dodgers as a team were punched out nine times in Game 1. Kerr might not be a big strikeout pitcher, but Atlanta is likely to use their top relievers in this one, increasing the challenge for Dodger bats.