Atlanta leans on a weary relief corps to stifle a rested, high-powered lineup in a high-stakes postseason gamble.
The Atlanta Braves are going into Game 1 of the NLDS without a traditional starting pitcher, and the most important part of that plan may come well after the first few innings.
As reported by MLB.com's Mark Bowman, Atlanta is expected to use left-hander Brent Suter as its opener Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers — continuing a strategy the Braves already used in the Wild Card Series. Ray Kerr opened Thursday's clinching win over Philadelphia and wound up throwing 3.1 innings, but the Dodgers present a much different challenge.
The question now becomes whether the Braves can find a way to string together enough quality innings. That is where this bullpen game gets complicated.
Atlanta has already been forced to manage its pitching carefully throughout the postseason. Chris Sale, who started Game 1 against the Phillies, was used in relief to close out the series and won't be available to start until at least Game 2 against Los Angeles. Tyler Mahle is lined up no earlier than Game 3.
That leaves Atlanta trying to bridge the rest of Saturday with a combination of Grant Holmes, J.R. Ritchie and other bullpen options.
The timing is less than ideal considering what happened against Philadelphia.
Atlanta's relief corps had some trouble limiting the Phillies during the Wild Card Series, with Didier Fuentes and Dylan Lee among the pitchers who have struggled in their opportunities. Lee has allowed two runs in 1.2 innings, while Fuentes has a 3.00 ERA but allowed Philadelphia to hit .308 against him.
Those numbers become much more important when the opponent is the Dodgers.
Los Angeles finished the regular season second in the majors in wRC+ and enters the series rested after receiving a first-round bye. Tarik Skubal is also waiting on the other side of the opener, giving Atlanta a difficult matchup before the Braves even have to worry about covering the final innings.
The Braves did face Skubal once this season and managed two runs over seven innings, including a home run from Ozzie Albies. That's probably the kind of offensive result Atlanta would gladly accept again, especially considering how difficult Skubal has been to solve over the last several seasons.
But even if the Braves manage to make his night uncomfortable, they still have to navigate the other side of the matchup.
That's why the decision to use an opener carries more weight than it did against Philadelphia. Atlanta can mix and match early, but eventually the game will move into innings that have to be covered by pitchers who haven't necessarily been the team's most trusted options.
The Braves already learned during the Wild Card Series that they can't lean on the same few arms every night. Now they're facing a Dodgers lineup capable of making those limitations matter quickly.
Against a potent Dodgers lineup, Game 1 was always going to test Atlanta's pitching depth. Now the bullpen strategy only magnifies it.
