NLDS 2013: Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Dodgers Game 3 preview
By Bryan Rose
Who: Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Dodgers
Where: Dodgers Stadium, Los Angeles
When: 8:07 PM, ET – TBS
Series record: 1-1
The Los Angeles Dodgers had an opportunity to put a choke hold on their series with the Atlanta Braves Friday night, but they just couldn’t get it done.
After winning Game 1 behind ace Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles could have left Georgia with a 2-0 series lead and the opportunity to sweep Atlanta in the short five game series. It wasn’t something the Braves were going to allow however as Atlanta squeaked out a narrow one run victory to send the series back to California tied at one game a piece.
On the mound in Game 3 for the home Dodgers will be $36 million dollar man Hyun-Jin Ryu who Los Angeles signed in the offseason. Ryu has been worth every penny so far, posting a 14-8 record to go alongside a 3.00 ERA for the season. However, there was some concern earlier this week when Ryu was spotted in the bullpen wearing a compression sleeve and both the Dodgers’ head trainer and head surgeon were in attendance watching Ryu’s side session. Ryu and the Dodgers continue to say he’s fine however, though there’s no doubt that healthy pitchers don’t often wear compression sleeves or get watched by the medical staff.
Opposing Ryu and the Dodgers will be young Braves starter Julio Teheran who prior to this season had a grand total of four Major League starts. That hasn’t slowed him down however as Teheran has emerged as one of Atlanta’s top starting pitchers, posting a 3.20 ERA for the season, really coming on after the All-Star break with a 2.97 ERA.
A victory for the Braves would guarantee a return to Atlanta if needed for a Game 5, while a win for Los Angeles would put them in a position to advance to the National League Championship on Monday night.