Dodgers: Braves Revenge Factor not Lost on Justin Turner and Dave Roberts
After winning a NLDS for the ages against the Giants, the Dodgers now turn to the Braves in the NLCS. Who doesn’t love a sequel?
The two clubs faced off in the 2020 NLCS with the Dodgers roaring back from a 3-1 series deficit. Los Angeles went on to win the series and the Championship. Any NLCS team is motivated, but as Justin Turner stated, underestimating Atlanta would be unwise.
“They [the Braves] probably have a bit of a bad taste in their mouth coming into this and they’re going to play with some purpose. We got to be ready for that.”
Some of that bad taste is from Turner’s game-changing double play in Game 7. His head’s up defense put a halt to the Braves rally. That was then, this is now. Now, the Dodgers will have to match the Braves’ level of intensity in Game 1 or suffer the consequences. They’ll be playing a well rested and heavily motivated Braves team.
The notion of revenge for the Braves also wasn’t lost on Dodgers manager Dave Roberts either.
“They might not say it, but the truth of the matter is they get another opportunity to get to the World Series and they have to go through us. Whether you want to call it opportunity or redemption, it’s on their minds.”
Roberts also noted that even without Acuña or Ozuna, there’s still plenty of key pieces from the 2020 Braves team.
To add even more flavor, former Dodger Joc Pederson provides a valuable bat for Atlanta off of the bench.
Much like a sequel in boxing, the second rendition of Dodgers-Braves has plenty of intrigue, excitement, and storylines.
Los Angeles hopes for more of the same. Atlanta however, seeks a much different ending in another NLCS matchup against the Dodgers.
NEXT: Dave Roberts Discusses His Game 1 Starter Ahead of NLCS
Eric, two things to mention. Firstly, in advent the Dodgers can duplicate last year’s result in the NLCS (beating the Braves), we would be guaranteed another sequel in the WS. It would be either Dodgers vs effing Houston Cheaters or Dodgers vs Cheater led (manager Alex Cora, cheaters’ mastermind) Red Sox (featuring my beloved Kike).
Secondly, Joc is not coming off the bench for the Braves. With Soler out for Covid, Joc is starting in RF…no high cheese, right Butane? Buehler tried to sneak a heater past Joc at the Ravine and Joc tomahawked one about 25 rows up the right field pavilion on a pitch that might have sailed the backstop had he not missed it lol. Buehler’s post game comments were “well we all know what Joc’s capable of” lol. Good luck Joc. Sorry the Dodgers will have to put an end to your season.
Let’s go Dodgers!
It depends on whether the offense shows up or not. As the hitters go, so go the Dodgers in this series. Pitching should be fine, but I’m not sure they can keep the Braves limited to 10 runs in the first 5 games. This series goes 7 so wss.
Nope…my prediction….series ends in game 5 at LA. 4-1 Dodgers. I just have a feeling the bats will come alive for the boys and, FINALLY, stay alive for most of this series. I can see a couple of those 10-12 run games in this series where we get multiple HRs from multiple Dodgers….
Rayovac, same as my prediction, 4-1 Dodgers.