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As far as intangibles go, the hardest part of any playoff series is to shift momentum in a meaningful way. Following last night’s nail-biting win over the Dodgers, we will have a chance to see if the momentum will enthusiastically swing in the Braves’ favor, or if last night was just a blip.
Ronald Acuña and Freddie Freeman did their part to get Atlanta’s offense back on track last night, and they reside in their usual lineup spots for Game 4 of the NLDS. Here is how Snitker will fill in the blanks:
Big win last night. Let's get another one.#ForEachOther https://t.co/SfG6uDt1IA pic.twitter.com/3hZ9o2iD7L
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) October 8, 2018
Notably, Ozzie Albies will bat second, and Tyler Flowers will catch Mike Foltynewicz.
The Braves will face Rich Hill, who brings a 5-0 lifetime record against Atlanta into today’s game, including a stellar performance against them on July 26. By virtue of Game Score, Hill’s 7-inning, 3-hit shutout performance on that July day gave him an 80 - his second best outing of the season.
As a testament to the Dodgers’ preposterous depth, manager Dave Roberts has tweaked LA’s roster into this configuration for today:
Today's Dodger lineup at Braves:
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 8, 2018
Pederson LF
Turner 3B
Muncy 1B
Machado SS
Grandal C
Hernández 2B
Bellinger CF
Puig RF
Hill P#LADetermined | @Biofreeze pic.twitter.com/Pk3cId1Qwq
After last Thursday’s less-than-stellar outing from Foltynewicz, he can only go two directions - straight up (which is preferable) or sideways (which is not). It will be interesting to track whether last week’s bump in the road was merely Folty adjusting to the playoff atmosphere, or if it is something grander.
First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 pm ET.