The National League West is anyone’s division to win (outside of the San Diego Padres), and the Los Angeles Dodgers want nothing but to sustain their status as among the top teams in the group. They will play the Atlanta Braves in a four-game series, beginning this Thursday. The Braves are trailing the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East, but are breathing down their necks.
Starters: Rich Hill (3-4, 4.26 ERA) vs. Anibal Sanchez (5-2, 2.76 ERA)
Pitching:
Hill takes to the mound for the Dodgers to open the series in Atlanta with a 2-1 record and a 3.32 ERA in four starts this month. He is also 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in six road starts. In his last start, he allowed just an earned run on five hits in six innings of a 6-5 road win over Milwaukee on July 20. Sanchez has not allowed more than three earned runs in each of his last five starts, including in the 8-5 win in Washington on July 20 in which he surrendered three earned runs on six hits. He has a 2.92 ERA in four starts this month.
Hitting:
The current Braves hitters have a .222 batting average vs. Hill.
Manny Machado is 6-for-12 with two homers vs. Sanchez.
Writer’s Prediction:
Dodgers win, 4-3.
Game 2: Friday, July 27, 7:10PM ET
Starters: Clayton Kershaw (3-5, 2.64 ERA) vs. Mike Foltynewicz (7-6, 2.85 ERA)
Pitching:
Kershaw picked up another loss in his last start despite allowing just an earned run (with four unearned) on seven hits of a 4-2 defeat at the hands of the Brewers on the road on July 21. He is 1-2 with a 2.12 ERA in six road starts this year. Foltynewicz, meanwhile, has been struggling with his stuff of late, as he has given up 13 earned runs over his last three starts. The Braves, however, are 6-4 in Foltynewicz’s last 10 starts.
Hitting:
Freddie Freeman is 4-for-16 with a homer vs, Kershaw.
The current Dodgers hitters have a collective .303 batting average vs. Foltynewicz.
Writer’s Prediction:
Dodgers win, 3-2.
Game 3: Saturday, July 28, 7:10PM ET
Starters: Alex Wood (6-5, 3.87 ERA)) vs. Sean Newcomb (8-5, 3.51 ERA)
Pitching:
Although he allowed two earned runs and a couple of walks in the first inning of his last start, Wood managed to finish the game with a win, as he did not allow another run the rest of the way in six innings of an 11-2 victory in Milwaukee on July 22. Wood is 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA in four starts this July. After picking up a loss in each of three prior starts, Newcomb finally got a W on July 23, when he held the Marlins to just an earned run on four hits in six innings of a 12-1 win in Miami. He is 302 with a 3.19 ERA in eight home starts.
Hitting:
Tyler Flowers is 7-for-11 vs., Wood.
Chris Taylor is 4-for-8 with a home run vs, Newcomb.
Writer’s Prediction:
Atlanta wins, 5-4.
Game 4: Sunday, July 29, 1:05PM ET
Starters: Ross Stripling (8-2, 2.08 ERA) vs. Julio Teheran (7-6, 4.00 ERA)
Pitching:
The Dodgers are 8-2 in Stripling’s last 10 starts. That stretch includes their 7-6 win in Philly on July 12 despite Stripling allowing five earned runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings of action. Stripling is 4-2 with a 2.55 ERA in 14 road appearances this year. Teheran is coming off an ugly outing, too, having allowed seven earned runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings of mound duty during a 9-3 loss in Miami on July 24. He is 2-2 with a 4.79 ERA in four starts this month.
Hitting:
Freddie Freeman is 2-for-6 vs, Stripling.
Yasmani Grandal is 6-for-15 vs. Teheran.
Writer’s Prediction:
Dodgers win, 5-3.
Writer’s Overall Series Prediction
The Braves avoid a total sweep, but alas the Dodgers take three to dominate the four game series.
