WillieB1214
Rookie
Re: MLB The Show 24 Franchise Mode Discussion Thread
Atlanta Braves 2024 NLCS vs Los Angeles Dodgers
How the Dodgers Got Here: Is this a real question? The Dodgers have put together one of the most insane rosters in history and it showed with their 109-53 record that was only bested by the Braves. The offense actually outscored the Braves by two runs on the season, ranking third in batting average and second in homers. The standouts: Shohei Ohtani (10-9, 4.21 ERA, 211 Ks | .934 OPS, 46 homers, 158 RBI), Mookie Betts (.972 OPS, 32 HR, 25 SB), Freddie Freeman (.906 OPS, 29 HR, 109 RBI), Yoshinoby Yamamoto (12-5, 3.25 ERA, 187 Ks), Teoscar Hernandez (.895 OPS, 31 HR, 105 RBI), and Bobby Miller (13-5, 2.84 ERA, 108 Ks). And there are plenty of other great players around them. Simply put, this is a juggernaut of a matchup and where this season has been headed all around. Like Atlanta, the Dodgers won their series against the St. Louis Cardinals in four games.
Game One (in Atlanta): Shohei vs Strider. This should have been an excellent matchup, but instead it was simply not the Dodgers day. Spencer Strider ended up with a one-run complete game with 10 strikeouts, but as good as he was, the Dodgers bats were equally off. They were just a little off, as Strider made some mistakes and they just didn’t make him pay for it before he got into a rhythm. Offensively, a three-homer day for Ozzie Albies tells the story. Shohei Ohtani got chased before finishing three innings as the Braves totaled 10 runs on 12 hits and two walks, thanks to a six-homer day for the lineup as Matt Olson, Michael Harris, and Sean Murphy (who has had an excellent playoff run so far) joined Albies' huge day. Albies is up to six homers in five postseason games, while Harris has three himself.
Result: Braves coast to a 10-1 win, lead series 1-0.
Game Two (in Atlanta): Baseball can be weird, and this was a clear example of this. Against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Braves started the game 0-8 with four foul balls on their first 12 balls with exit velocity north of 80+ per hour, including 0-3 on those north of 100. During this stretch, Max Fried had struck out an insane 15 batters over the course of six innings, but Fried had made three mistake pitches and had given up two homers to Freddie Freeman and one to Will Smith to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, weird baseball and a return to the mean would strike. Murphy and Orlando Arcia each got the first two hits for Atlanta with weak singles, which would eventually set the stage for a massive, 114-MPH three-run homer from MVP Austin Riley. Tyler Matzek would come in and dominate the seventh and eighth innings to keep Atlanta within one. Insert Brusdar Graterol for the Dodgers, who was met rudely by Michael Harris on a two-strike slider for a game-tying home run. Ronald Acuna would step to the plate with a 1-21 start to the postseason despite only striking out three times in that stretch. Again, trust the process, as Graterol would hang another slider and Acuna would give the Braves their first lead of the game with a soul-crushing homer. Raisel Iglesias would take no prisoners in the top of the ninth, making quick work for the save in an emotional, come-from-behind 5-4 win. “You just have to keep swinging,” Riley said after the game.
Result: Braves win 5-4 and go up 2-0 as the series heads out west.
Game Three (at Los Angeles): Down 2-0 in the series, this was a much win situation for the Dodgers. Tyler Glasnow took the mound for LA after a solid, but unspectacular regular season and delivered for them, dominating from the very start. Opposite him, Chris Sale was dealing as well for Atlanta, as the only run he allowed in 5.2 innings of work was off of an RBI double from Teoscar Hernandez to score Shohei Ohtani in the fourth inning. The Atlanta offense was struck with some misfortune, but also just got dealt a pitcher in Glasnow that was on his game. A two-run homer from Ohtani off of AJ Minter in the eighth gave the Dodgers a 3-0 lead that was more than enough as Glasnow worked a complete game shutout, only allowing three hits and two walks. Jarred Kelenic went 2-2 with a walk, so the rest of the offense combined for a 1-28 performance with a walk.
Result: Dodgers win 3-0, Braves lead the series 2-1.
Game Four (at Los Angeles): After being shutout in game three, Marcell Ozuna decided to take matters in his own hands with a two-run homer off of Ohtani in the second inning to give the Braves an early lead. Jason Heyward, a former top prospect and Rookie of the Year for Atlanta, would make it closer with a solo shot in the bottom of the third inning off of Charlie Morton. Things would stick at 2-1 as Morton and Ohtani settled in, but a couple of baserunners in the start of the sixth would lead to Ohtani coming out after five innings of two-run, six strikeout ball, but Atlanta failed to capitalize. After Morton worked through the sixth, Atlanta exploded for six runs in the top of seventh before a single out was even recorded thanks to homers from Michael Harris, Matt Olson (three-run), Ozzie Albies, and Ozuna again. This game the Braves an 8-1 lead. Morton would work through seven innings with seven strikeouts, then Aaron Bummer would come and face six batters, striking all of them out to finish off the win for Atlanta and putting them one game away from the World Series. Ozuna went 5-5 in this game, while Olson added a double to his homer.
Result: Braves win 8-1, lead series 3-1.
Game Five (@ Los Angeles): With their season on the line, the Dodgers threw out veteran and all-time great Clayton Kershaw against Bryce Elder of the Braves, with Elder making his first appearance of the postseason. What we got was a nice pitching duel, as Kershaw gave up one earned run, but two total thanks to a Gavin Lux error, while Elder gave up a run before getting an out after a Lux double in the first inning, but then got comfortable enroute to 5.2 innings of one run ball. Jarred Kelenic and Orlando Arcia each drove in runs for Atlanta as they held a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth. Tyler Matzek would take to the mound and get strikeouts from the first two batters faced. Freddie Freeman would get a single that was followed by the same for Mookie Betts. With Max Muncy up, Matzek would stay on the mound, but it was one batter too many as Muncy launched a hanging slider for a homer and a 4-2 Dodger lead. Atlanta would go down in order in the top of the ninth.
Result: Dodgers win 4-2, Atlanta leads series 3-2.
Game Six (in Atlanta): Back at home, the Braves got to throw out Cy Young winner Spencer Strider with the hopes that he would be able to take them to the World Series. Things got off to a phenomenal start for Atlanta, as Austin Riley knocked in Michael Harris in the first inning for a 1-0 lead off of 2024 All Star Bobby Miller while Strider just absolutely decimated the Dodgers’ hitters, going seven innings with 14 strikeouts and only five total base runners allowed. Still holding on to that tight lead, Chris Martin and the Atlanta bullpen would continue their struggles, as Martin would give up a towering two-run homer to Mookie Betts in the top of the eighth. As Atlanta was once again held scoreless, AJ Minter and Reynaldo Lopez would combine to allow two more in the top of the ninth. Down 4-1 in the bottom of the ninth and Evan Phillips on the mound for LA, Riley was called for a strikeout looking before Matt Olson singled to right. Ozzie Albies would then double to score Olson before Marcell Ozuna knocked him in a few pitches later with a single of his own. After Jarred Kelenic would single to move Ozuna to second, Vesia would come in and get Travis d’Arnaud to fly out. With one out remaining, Orlando Arcia got his third hit of the game to score Ozuna and tie the game before Harris rolled over on the first pitch. Aaron Bummer sat down Betts, Gavin Lux, and Freddie Freeman on just five pitches to give Atlanta a chance at a walk off victory. Ronald Acuna, who has struggled mightily this entire postseason, got a pitch and he liked and roped a double down the left field line. Riley would pop up on a pitch down the middle, but Olson would deliver once again for Atlanta with a no-doubt, game-ending, series-clinching homer to right field to send the Braves to the World Series!
Result: Braves win 6-4 in 10 innings, Atlanta wins the series.
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I just knew towards the end of Game Six I was going to lose the game and the series, what an insanely clutch finish! Life has been busy so haven't been able to play as much so my offense has been super inconsistent. Starters have been excellent, bullpen not so much. I get the Houston Astros in the World Series and am very nervous about how it ends up. Excited to make it this far! Need Acuna and Olson to have big series as both have really struggled.
And now to catch up on everybody else! lol
Charvalos, Itsma806, LowerWolf and 1 others like this.
