Tough night for the Atlanta Braves as the fall to the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-0 in Game 1 of the NLDS.
(Newest updates will be at the top of the page so if you want to start from the beginning, scroll to the bottom and read up.)
Top of 9th: Dodgers 6, Braves 0
Former Brave Alex Wood came on to close it out in the ninth for the Dodgers. Camargo opened the inning with a fly out to right. Freeman then struck out before Markakis singled to right in front of a diving Puig. Flowers followed with a hit off the glove of Muncy at first to give Atlanta a pair of baserunners.
Dave Roberts then went to the mound an replaced Wood with Dylan Floro who got Albies to ground out to second to end it.
Bottom of 8th: Dodgers 6, Braves 0
Chad Sobotka comes on to pitch for the Braves in the eighth. Sobotka retired Bellinger on a ground out to first but then ran into trouble. Puig worked a walk and then moved up all the way to third on an errant pick off attempt by Sobotka. Hernandez followed with another walk to put runners at the corners with just one out.
David Freese would come on as a pinch-hitter and deliver a sacrifice fly to right to score Puig to make it 6-0. Pederson then grounded out to end the inning.
Top of 8th: Dodgers 5, Braves 0
Caleb Ferguson came on to pitch in the eighth and picked up right where Ryu left off. Culberson led off the inning and was retired on a nice play by Machado at first. Ferguson then struck out pinch-hitter Lane Adams and Acuña to end the inning.
Manny with the cannon. Muncy with the stretch. pic.twitter.com/cu2EwNy7gZ
— MLB (@MLB) October 5, 2018
Acuña is 0-for-4 and that is as sure of a sign as anything else that this ain't our night
— Talking Chop (@TalkingChop) October 5, 2018
Bottom of 7th: Dodgers 5, Braves 0
Brach began the seventh by striking out Pederson but then issued back-to-back walks to Turner and Muncy. Brach then struck out Machado but both runners moved up on a double steal. Snitker then went to his bullpen to bring in Jonny Venters to face Grandal with runners at second and third with two outs. Venters came on and got Grandal to fly out to Markakis in right to end the inning.
Top of 7th: Dodgers 5, Braves 0
Ryu continued to roll in the seventh pitching around a two-out single by Albies while picking up his seventh and eighth strikeout. Nick Markakis grounded out to start the inning. Tyler Flowers then struck out for the third time in the game. Albies singled through the middle but Inciarte went down on strikes to end the thread.
Ryu is sitting at 104 pitches and is likely finished for the night but the Braves are down to their last six outs. Ryu allowed four hits and struck out eight over seven shutout innings.
#Braves have had 1 at-bat with a runner in scoring position through 7 innings against Ryu, who has dominated tonight's proceedings in the top half of innings while Dodger power bats have dominated the bottom half.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) October 5, 2018
Bottom of 6th: Dodgers 5, Braves 0
Fried retired Bellinger on a fly out and was then replaced by Brad Brach. Fried didn’t allow a hit over 1.1 scoreless innings. He walked one and struck out one.
Puig jumped on the first pitch Brach threw but just missed it flying out to left. That would bring up Kike Hernandez who would not miss Brach’s 1-1 pitch as he drove it out to left center for a solo home run. Brach then retired Ryu to end the inning. Braves now trailing 5-0 heading to the seventh.
#Crushed... That was Hernandez 3rd hardest hit HR tracked by @statcast pic.twitter.com/PpnMgHz634
— Daren Willman (@darenw) October 5, 2018
These @Dodgers came to play. #NLDS pic.twitter.com/L87Ax4pwuC
— MLB (@MLB) October 5, 2018
Top of 6th: Dodgers 4, Braves 0
Ryu works another scoreless inning in the sixth. Ronald Acuña reached on an error by Machado at short but was thrown out trying to steal second on a strike out double play by Camargo. Freeman then flew out with the bases empty to end the inning.
Hyun-jin Ryu, Nasty 87mph Cutter (HP/side view) pic.twitter.com/4J6VWHHT61
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 5, 2018
Bottom of 5th: Dodgers 4, Braves 0
Max Fried into pitch in the fifth. Newcomb exits having allowed one hit over two shutout innings. He struck out two and walked none. Solid performance from him.
Fried walked Muncy to start the inning but then got Machado to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play. He then struck out Grandal to end the inning.
Top of 5th: Dodgers 4, Braves 0
Ryu retired the first two hitters of the fifth before allowing back-to-back hits to Inciarte and Culberson. Kurt Suzuki came on to pinch hit for Newcomb and flied out to Puig in right to end the inning.
Bottom of 4th: Dodgers 4, Braves 0
Newcomb works another scoreless inning despite allowing a one-out single to Ryu. Kike Hernandez flew out to the base of the wall to open the inning. Ryu followed with a single to right. Newcomb then got Pederson to foul out on a nice play by Freeman reaching into the stands. He then got Turner to bounce back to the mound to end the inning.
Top of 4th: Dodgers 4, Braves 0
Ryu sets the Braves down in order again and has now retired 10 straight batters dating back to the first inning. Atlanta still with just one hit and trailing 4-0.
Bottom of 3rd: Dodgers 4, Braves 0
Sean Newcomb replaces Foltynewicz here in the third. He allowed three hits (two homers), four runs and three walks in just two innings. He struck out five.
Newcomb came in and went right to work striking out Grandal, getting Bellinger to foul out before striking out Puig to end the inning.
Top of 3rd: Dodgers 4, Braves 0
Another quiet inning for Ryu who has now retired seven straight since allowing a two-out single to Freeman in the first inning. Charlie Culberson grounded out to start the inning before Foltynewicz and Acuña struck out.
Bottom of 2nd: Dodgers 4, Braves 0
Foltynewicz retired the first two batters he faced in the second striking out Kike Hernandez and Ryu on a fly out. He then ran into more trouble when he hit Pederson and then issued another walk to Turner to put runners at first and second. He worked the count to 0-2 against Max Muncy before allowing a long three-run home run to right center to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead. Machado struck out to end the inning but the damage was done.
MAX power. #NLDS pic.twitter.com/4BUIJeVAVP
— MLB (@MLB) October 5, 2018
Top of 2nd: Dodgers 1, Braves 0
Another quick inning for Ryu as the Braves go down in order in the second. Tyler Flowers struck out to start the inning. Ozzie Albies grounded to short and Ender Inciarte flew out to left.
Bottom of 1st: Dodgers 1, Braves 0
Mike Foltynewicz’s evening got off to a rough start as Joc Pederson jumped on an 0-2 pitch and drove it out for a leadoff home run.
Joc POP. #NLDS pic.twitter.com/xwKLaRt2JF
— MLB (@MLB) October 5, 2018
Foltynewicz then allowed a double to Justin Turner and a walk to Max Muncy to put runners at first and second. Folty then battled back striking out Manny Machado and Yasmani Grandal. Another walk to Cody Bellinger loaded the bases but Foltynewicz got Yasiel Puig to strikeout with the bases loaded to escape with no further damage.
Folty, 97mph Fastball with a little hop (escaping the first inning). pic.twitter.com/YFHOOj5ijY
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 5, 2018
Top of 1st: Braves 0, Dodgers 0
The NLDS is underway as Hyun-Jin Ryu works a scoreless inning in the top of the first. Ronald Acuña Jr. popped out to start the game. Johan Camargo then worked the count full before flying out to left. Freddie Freeman followed with a two-out single but Nick Markakis grounded to second to end the inning. Freeman is now 6-for-9 in his career against Ryu.
Freeman's first-inning single was an example of why his ability to consistently go with the pitch helped him hit a MLB-best .291 against the shift this season. His 2018 spray chart is shown below pic.twitter.com/9KMbK0otm7
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) October 5, 2018
Pregame
Chad Sobotka began the season in High-A, now he is about to make his MLB Postseason debut.
"Every inning I went out there and kinda stayed locked in."
— FOX Sports: Braves (@FOXSportsBraves) October 4, 2018
Chad Sobotka started his season with the High-A @FireFrogsBB. Now he's on the @Braves playoff roster.#Postseason pic.twitter.com/DNG3DFFtXN
Touki Toussaint on being excited for the postseason.
"It's definitely a new level of excitement. Everyone's just amped up."@ToukiToussaint is HYPED. The rookie right-hander sits down with @KelsWingert after making the @Braves' playoff roster.#Postseason pic.twitter.com/we90AEsmtU
— FOX Sports: Braves (@FOXSportsBraves) October 4, 2018
Freddie Freeman and Charlie Culberson getting some swings in the cage.
That’ll do, @FreddieFreeman5 #ForEachOther pic.twitter.com/NJNBLT7aNO
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) October 4, 2018
Freddie Freeman on facing Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu in Game 1
"It's been a while but we know he's a command guy."
— FOX Sports: Braves (@FOXSportsBraves) October 4, 2018
— @Braves star Freddie Freeman on facing #Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu#Postseason pic.twitter.com/YlTST0hAJa
Pregame warmups on the field at Dodger Stadium
LIVE from Dodger Stadium! #ForEachOther https://t.co/n97z7Hwdxg
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) October 4, 2018
Injured Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson talked with the media prior to Thursday’s game about the wrist injury that kept him off the NLDS roster.
Dansby: “I already had my pity party. Saturday and Sunday I had my pity party. It’s tough...I love to win. That’s my passion is winning and competing at the highest level. It has been a struggle understanding why now” #Braves
— 680 The Fan & 93.7FM (@680TheFan) October 4, 2018
Swanson also had this to say about watching his replacement Charlie Culberson take his place.
Swanson on Culberson: "I enjoy watching my teammates play, especially those who look like me. It'll be like watching myself out there."
— Gabe Burns (@GabeBurnsAJC) October 4, 2018