Saturday evening the Milwaukee Brewers will look to take a commanding 2-0 series lead over the Atlanta Braves in their National League Division Series matchup. The Brewers won Game 1 on Friday thanks to Rowdy Tellez’s late home run. Charlie Morton and Corbin Burnes delighted us with a pitchers’ duel, and Josh Hader stranded the tying run in the ninth to clinch the win.
You can view the full postseason schedule by clicking here. With that throat-clearing out of the way, let’s get to the important stuff.
How to watch
Date: Saturday, Oct. 9 | Time: 5:07 p.m. ET
Location: American Family Field (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
TV: TBS | Stream: TBS.com
Odds: MIL -125; ATL +115; O/U: 7.5 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Starting pitchers: RHP Brandon Woodruff (9-10, 2.56 ERA) vs. LHP Max Fried (14-7, 3.04 ERA)
Preview
In the era of the 2-2-1 Division Series format, 32 times a team has won Games 1 and 2 at home, and those teams are 29-3 in those 32 series, including 19 sweeps. Those are the odds the Brewers will try to give themselves Saturday, when they give the ball to Woodruff, their co-ace. He allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings in his lone start against Atlanta in 2021.
The Braves will have the right man on the mound to try to avoid the 2-0 series deficit. Fried finished the regular season on an incredible run, pitching to a 1.46 ERA and holding opponents to a .182/.213/.279 batting line in his final 11 starts. He did not face Milwaukee at all this year, so Brewers hitters haven’t seen him in a while (these two teams didn’t meet during regional play last year). A strong start from Fried feels imperative.
Prediction
I’m not sure any team has a clear advantage on the mound in Game 2 — Woodruff had the better season overall but Fried has been at the top of his game the last few weeks — but I like the power throughout Atlanta’s lineup, and think they’ll have more success against Woodruff, who can be a bit home run prone at times, than they did against noted home run suppressor Corbin Burnes.
Pick: Braves 6, Brewers 2
2021 MLB postseason gear now available
The 2021 MLB Playoffs start Oct. 5 and 6 with the AL and NL Wild Card games. In celebration, 2021 MLB postseason gear is now available for select teams. Shop hoodies, shirts, and more here.
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