Braves Best Brewers in NLDS Matchup

The highly anticipated matchup of the NL East and NL Central winners–the Atlanta Braves and the Milwaukee Brewers–featured some of the best pitching matchups and young talent in the playoffs, with some players on both teams new to the Postseason. 

Going into this series, the Brewers were the clear favorite across betting websites like DraftKings, FanDuel, and analytics site FiveThirtyEight. I have to mention that this series featured the cheapest tickets according to Stub Hub during Game 1 at a crazy $15. It is in Milwaukee, but I would go to any playoff game for $15, honestly. 

Game 1 at Milwaukee featured a matchup of Braves star pitcher Charlie Morton and Brewers ace Corbin Burnes. Both teams struggled to get on the board until the 7th, with a 2-run-homer blast from 1B Rowdy Tellez. The Braves managed to get on the board later with the help of OF Joc Pederson, but the Brewers managed to take game 1. Burnes managed to record 6 K’s to Morton’s 9 K’s, and in comparison, Burnes struggled in his first career postseason start. After a rocky first inning, Burnes finally settled down and recorded six scoreless innings. 

Of course, the Braves were not about to go down easy and managed to tie the series 1-1 with a big win from game 2. P Max Fried had arguably one of the best starts of the year, recording 9 K’s and only three hits to shut the Brewers out, 3-0. Fried also led the majors before the All-Star Break with an ERA of 1.74. The Braves bullpen showcased their talent all year in the NL East, a division plagued with horrible closers. Runs were driven in by 1B Freddy Freeman, 2B Ozzie Albies, and 3B Austin Riley. 

Finally, the series moves out of Milwaukee and down to Atlanta for game 3, and we can’t talk about game three without talking about one of the worst plays of the game. It was not on the field; it came from a foul ball going into the stands right to Hall Of Fame 3B Chipper Jones. It was hilarious that Jones goes two hands in to catch this foul ball and drops it. Sure, he hasn’t played in a while, but come on, Jones, you’re a Hall of Famer. 

Anyways, the actual game featured another outstanding performance from Joc Pederson with a huge 3-run-homer off of reliever Adrian Houser. I bet the Dodgers miss him after seeing how great he has been in Atlanta. Honestly, it is so hard to watch teams with relievers who give up game-winning home runs, even after your starter records six or more strikeouts. I would know since I am a Mets fan. Also, the Braves defense stepped up this year, especially with their slew of injuries from players like RF Ronald Acuña Jr., P Mike Soroka, and LF Marcell Ozuna. 

Bad news for the Brewers broke before game 4, with news that Corbin Barnes is not ready to pitch in what was their make-or-break game. Instead, the Brewers put their faith in P Eric Lauer to force a game 5. Meanwhile, Morton returned, pitching on short rest that did not seem to pan out the way the Braves hoped. This game featured the most hits we have gotten all series which was a nice change. Starting in the top of the 4th, C Omar Navarez hit an RBI single to put the Brewers up early. The Brewers continued to put it on, with CF Lorenzo Cain adding to their early lead of 2-0 with another RBI single. 

Pitching this game failed to match up to what I hoped I would see, especially with the fantastic talent that has led these two teams to where they are throughout the season. Both pitchers went only three innings and gave up two earned runs each. 

In the bottom of the 4th, we finally got some action from the Braves, with a two-run RBI by LF Eddie Rosario. Yet the tie did not last long at all, with Tellez hitting his second home run of the series, extending the Brewers’ lead 4-2. 

Game 4 took the cake for the most exciting game because, finally, we got back-to-back action with runs, something that had been missing, especially when other big Division Series games like the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. the San Francisco Giants were occurring. Speaking of the Dodgers, Joc Pederson came in clutch again and dropped the Brewers lead down to 1 with another choppy RBI single. In the 5th, C Travis d’Arnaud drove in an RBI single, quickly followed by a big Freddie Freeman home run to bring the lead back in Atlanta’s favor. The Braves rounded out the game with a big out against Christian Yelich to send them to the NLCS for the second time in a row.

While the Brewers season has come to an untimely end, I think it’s worth running through who helped the Brewers the most during the series. Defensively, LF Christian Yelich showcased his talent in this series, with some amazing plays but struggling offensively at the plate, with just three hits this series in 15 at-bats.

The real credit should go to Rowdy Tellez, who secured the win in game one and hit another monster home run in game 4, although the rest of the team bats struggled. Tellez didn’t even arrive on the Brewers roster until early July after being traded from the Toronto Blue Jays. Safely to say, he managed to help out big time and deserves the credit for Brewers MVP this series. 

We can’t forget to talk about the champions, the Braves, who started rocky in the NL East this year and did not even make it into first place until mid-August. As much as it pains me to see one of my division rivals continue to go forward rather than the Mets, the Braves do deserve it after so many unfortunate injuries. My MVP pick for this series has to go to the reigning NL MVP Freddie Freeman. Not only is he one of the most likable guys in MLB, he routinely delivers for his team, especially as he cemented the Braves’ big win on Tuesday. 

Now, the Braves will face either the Dodgers or the Giants for the NLCS and hopefully bring to attention the talent that exists in the NL East. 

Cover image by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images