The Braves and the Dodgers do battle again in Game Five of the NLCS. It is the third and final time the Dodgers will be playing in Los Angeles, and with the series currently standing at 3-1, in favor of the Braves, the Dodgers will need to win Game Five to keep their World Series hopes alive.
Look below to find our free MLB picks for tonight’s National League Championship Series Game Five between the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers!
Atlanta Braves @ Los Angeles Dodgers (Game 5) – 8.08pm EDT
Well, it was all the Braves in the fourth game, wasn’t it. The Dodgers only scored two runs, compared to the Braves nine, and the Dodgers never looked comfortable or in with a chance to win the game. Now the series is 3-1, in the Braves favor, this game is do or die for the Dodgers. Can the Dodgers pull out a win from the fire and stretch this series to at least six games?
Tim Newton
This series is done. The Dodgers haven’t been able to find anything offensively, outside of a three-run home-run from Cody Bellinger in Game Three. If you take that one hit away then the Dodgers have only scored 13 runs across their last five games and that isn’t good enough against an Atlanta batting lineup that is toying with the best bullpen in all of baseball. LA’s pitchers haven’t been able to last against Atlanta through four games, with the likes of Scherzer, Buehler and Urias all giving up multiple runs each time they take the mound and none of them lasting more than five innings.
It’s Eddie’s world. We’re all just living in it.@EddieRosario09 | #BattleATL pic.twitter.com/SmLnOzhQ7d
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) October 21, 2021
On the other hand, Atlanta’s bullpen is thriving right now and Max Fried is sure to continue that trend tonight. In his two games this postseason, Fried has given up just two runs from 12 total innings pitched, recording 14 strikeouts in that time. He is now 3-0 with a 1.91 ERA from his last seven games and given how poorly the Dodgers’ batters have been hitting them, Fried should be able to get on top yet again.
Tim’s MLB Pick: Atlanta Braves (+116)
Katherine Mouradian
This was not the Dodgers best game, and they ended up going down 2-9. The Braves pitchers were all over the batters like a bad rash, and the Dodgers pitchers couldn’t get anything going. But this is where the Dodgers thrive, elimination games. There is a lot on the line for the Dodgers, and they need to win the game tonight if they want to keep their season alive. They will also need to win Game 6, if they can win this game, which will be played in Atlanta, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.
The Braves continue to defy the oddsmakers and after a stellar second half of the regular season, they are in the box seat to make the World Series. The Braves had every chance to win in the third game, but it wasn’t to be, luckily they bounced back quickly for the win in Game Four. The batting for the Braves has been great, with a number of the team getting solid results. It is going to be Fried on the mound for the Braves in Game Five. In his game against the Dodgers in the NLCS, he allowed just two runs on eight hits, which was over six innings.
If anyone can get out of this spot of bother, it has to be the Dodgers. It only takes a look back to last season where the Dodgers were down 1-3 to the Braves in the NLCS! We all know what happened there and the Dodgers went on to win the World Series. Unfortunately, it is looking likely that Turner will be out injured at least for this game. The Dodgers will need another great performance by their batting lineup if they want to win this game, the likes of Betts and co will need to fire up. It is going to be a bullpen day for the Dodgers, but it worked for the Braves in Game Four, maybe this strategy will work for the Dodgers in Game 5?
I really want to say the Dodgers, and they certainly do know how to make a comeback, but with the Braves in this exact same situation last season, they would have learned from their mistakes. The Braves will look to be as clinical as possible in this game to not let the Dodgers in with a chance, and with Fried on the mound, that is looking likely.
Katherine’s MLB Pick: Atlanta Braves (+116)
Mike Su
The Braves blew out the Dodgers in game 5. The Braves had a phenomenal start with 4 runs in the first 3 innings, and finished strong with an additional 4 runs in the 9th innings. The Braves went 6 deep into their bullpen to produce a strong pitching performance. Drew Smyly was the only weak point on the Braves pitching attack with 2 runs allowed in 3 innings. The rest of the bullpen allowed just 2 hits throughout the remaining 6 innings. The Braves shouldn’t expect another poor batting day again as the Dodgers are a top 4 unit for a reason. The absolute batting dominance of the Braves was a surprise against the league’s best defense and the league’s winningest pitcher Julio Urias.
Chippin’ away. pic.twitter.com/YdNdS8PRMf
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 21, 2021
The Dodgers will be looking to bounce back and find their feet in game 5 to avoid elimination and try to win the series in 7 games. However, a 3-1 comeback is difficult in any sport and the Braves are firmly in the driver’s seat. The Dodgers have been in this position before in the past as they were down 3-1 in last year’s NLCS. They obviously won the final 3 games of the series which led to a World Series win. In game 5 the Dodgers will be looking to start their comeback in their final home game. This will be a tough task but the best team in the league should be able to come up with a win at least in game 5. This Dodgers team is too good to lose in 5 games.
Mike’s MLB Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers (-136)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
