Adam Duvall suffers concerning injury during swing in Game 1 of NLCS

Adam Duvall had to leave Game 1 of the NLCS against the Dodgers, prompting the Braves to turn to a rookie in his place

Opening up Game 1 of the NLCS with a home run from Freddie Freeman? Great news for the Atlanta Braves.

Having Adam Duvall pull up after a swing with an apparent back injury in the second inning of the NLCS? Very bad news for the Braves.

The left fielder grabbed his lower back immediately after fouling the ball off his bat. It turns out it’s an oblique injury for Duvall.

https://twitter.com/Jack_A_Harris/status/1315815054126845959?s=20

With Duvall pulled, the Braves put in 21-year-old rookie Christian Pache, who acquitted himself well by earning a walk.

Losing Adam Duvall is a blow for the Braves, but an opportunity for Christian Pache

Duvall was having a great season in his second year with the Braves. He had 16 home runs in 2020 but was still trying to find his groove in the postseason. He managed just two hits in 20 postseason at-bats.

The injury on his first at-bat against the Dodgers will get in the way of him reversing that trend. For the Braves, the hope is simply that it doesn’t keep him out for the remainder of the postseason, however long it lasts.

Pache is the top prospect for the Braves, so it makes sense to give him a chance to start living up to his potential. It’s just a pretty huge stage for him to be thrust onto.

After spending four years in the organization, Pache got his major league call up in 2020 and appeared in two games for Atlanta during the regular season. In four appearances, he had just one hit and two strikeouts.

One of the Braves or Dodgers will suffer their first loss of the playoffs on Monday night in a battle between Walker Buehler of the Dodgers and Max Fried of the Braves.