Takeaways: Braves go down quietly in game two against the Dodgers

Atlanta fell behind early and never mounted a rally in a dispiriting 8-1 loss to drop the series

With another favorable-on-paper pitching matchup, the Braves again were frustratingly dispatched by their long-time nemeses. Here are some takeaways.

Off Stride

Spencer Strider deserved better, as he was dazzling for much of the game.

10 career games with 10+ strikeouts ⛽️

Spencer Strider has only made 30 MLB starts. pic.twitter.com/1eW1mFjTJf

— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) May 24, 2023

He punched 11 Dodgers out and only allowed two earned runs in six innings, but he's tagged with the loss tonight due to some shoddy defense (more on that below) and a few mistakes in the zone early on. He settled in afterwards, but LA got four of their five runs in the first two innings when Strider had some hiccups with his command. The problem is he left a few too many pitches out over the plate, such as a hanging slider that catcher Will Smith got jiggy with through a drawn-in infield to open the scoring.

Old friend Jason Heyward ambushed ($1 to Chip Caray) a high fastball to lead off the second, sending it into the Chop House, and Smith again made the Braves pay with a two-unearned-run-scoring double later in that frame. The margin for error against a team like LA is just so low. This is compounded by...

E3

Matt Olson had a forgettable night all around, as he went 0-4 at the plate and committed two errors in the field. The first error contributed to two unearned runs which completely changed the feel of this contest. This was his first game with two errors since late 2017, which was before his first full season with the Athletics. Olson has been underwhelming defensively since a stellar 2019 campaign, but his metrics thus far in 2023 are in the negative range.

That fits in with what's been a rough season with the glove for the Braves as a whole. The team ranks at or near the bottom of the league in most defensive categories, with only fielding percentage and DRS putting Atlanta even in the middle of the pack. And that small margin for error when facing the Dodgers becomes even smaller when you give them extra outs.

Lifeless

Straight up, the Braves looked dead out there tonight. That's easy for me to say, but certainly the last 17 innings (since jumping out to that 4-0 lead last night) have not gone well. The Dodgers have outscored the Braves 13-3, with a series of LA pitchers largely mowing the Atlanta offense down. Tonight saw the major league debut of star Dodgers prospect Bobby Miller, and he navigated through five innings of one-run ball behind a fastball that routinely hit triple digits. The same relief pitchers that controlled the Braves last night - Evan Phillips, Yency Almonte, and Brusdar Graterol - again did so tonight, while the Atlanta bullpen allowed the Dodgers to keep adding on, leading to an unfortunately familiar result.

This is all certainly hot-take stuff, but the Braves just play like a tighter, more intimidated team against the Dodgers. I was hoping the 2021 NLCS would've ended that seeming mental block, but the Dodgers are now 6-2 against Atlanta over the last two seasons. To be perhaps more fair to the Braves, this series is just part of a schedule gauntlet made worse with the injuries to Max Fried and Kyle Wright. But having Charlie Morton and Spencer Strider lined up against two rookies feels like it should've resulted in something better than this.

What's Next?

Tomorrow night the Braves send Bryce Elder (3-0, 2.06 ERA, 3.34 FIP in nine starts) to the hill in the hopes of avoiding a sweep. The Dodgers will counter with right-hander Tony Gonsolin (2-1, 1.13 ERA, 4.04 FIP in five starts). The game will be broadcast inside Braves Country on Bally Sports South with Voice of the Braves Brandon Gaudin and is available on MLB.tv outside the local broadcast area. The radio call, with Ben Ingram, is available locally on 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan or outside the Atlanta market on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network or MLB.com.

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Other Stories from the Los Angeles Dodgers Series
WATCH: Ron Washington clipped by a foul ball, hears about it from Braves dugout
WATCH: Austin Riley ties it up with an RBI double into the gap
Lineup, how to watch Atlanta's Tuesday night game two against the Los Angeles Dodgers
Takeaways: The Braves drop game one of their three-game set with the Dodgers
The Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers have a LOT in common with each other
Report: Dodgers are calling up top pitching prospect Bobby Miller for Tuesday's start in Atlanta
PODCAST: Atlanta Braves vs Freddie Freeman; Ronald Acuña keeps shining

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