Spencer Strider looks to continue his surge against Dodgers

A long western road trip for the Atlanta Braves will continue Thursday night when they begin a four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Braves are 5-1 on their current trip and completed a three-game sweep against the Colorado Rockies Wednesday. Atlanta enters Thursday with a four-game edge over the Dodgers for the best record in the majors and homefield advantage throughout postseason.

The Braves lined up their rotation so that they could throw their best in LA. Spencer Strider will get the start in the opener and is looking to continue a dominant run. Since allowing six runs against Pittsburgh back on August 7, Strider has allowed just seven hits and one run combined over his last three outings. He has 25 strikeouts and just six walks during that span and has logged seven innings each start. He allowed just one run and struck out nine in his last outing against the Giants.

The Dodgers will go with veteran right-hander Lance Lynn in Thursday’s opener. LA acquired Lynn from the Chicago White Sox just ahead of the trade deadline in hope that he could provide some innings for a rotation that was dealing with injuries. Lynn has done that and has logged at least six innings in four of his five starts in a Dodgers uniform. He does present an interesting matchup for the Braves. Lynn has allowed a league leading 34 home runs in 150 2/3 innings. Atlanta leads the majors and set a new franchise record with their 250th home run in Wednesday’s win. Lynn has a 2.03 ERA in 31 innings with the Dodgers, albeit with a 4.68 FIP. He’s allowed seven earned runs since the trade and six home runs.

The Braves flexed their muscles again in Wednesday’s win banging out three more home runs, but not necessarily from the usual suspects. Marcell Ozuna hit his 31st of the season and has 29 home runs since the start of May. Orlando Arcia set a new career-high for homers with his 16th. Atlanta currently has seven players with at least 20 home runs.

Thursday’s game is scheduled to get underway at 10:10 p.m. ET and can be seen on Bally Sports Southeast.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Thursday, August 31, 10:10 p.m. ET

Location: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California

TV: Bally Sports Southeast

Streaming: MLB.tv

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan