The Scouting Report: Braves vs Dodgers, Game Two

Lineups, pitching matchup, bullpen status, and what to watch this evening

It’s Atlanta Braves baseball! Let’s break down everything you need to know about this evening’s matchup.

Game Info

• First Pitch: 9:10 PM ET

• Location: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA

• TV: BravesVision

• Radio: 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan

• Weather: 72° and mostly sunny, wind SW at 8 mph

Atlanta Braves Lineup

LF Mauricio Dubón
DH Drake Baldwin
2B Ozzie Albies
1B Matt Olson
3B Austin Riley
CF Michael Harris II
C Sean Murphy
RF Eli White
SS Jorge Mateo

Quick thoughts:

• Jorge Mateo is back at shortstop after missing several games for a jammed finger, while Sean Murphy checks in behind the plate against a lefty in Blake Snell.

Los Angeles Dodgers Lineup

DH Shohei Ohtani
1B Freddie Freeman
C Will Smith
RF Kyle Tucker
CF Andy Pages
3B Max Muncy
LF Teoscar Hernandez
SS Hye-seong Kim
2B Alex Freeland

Quick thoughts:

• With a righty on the mound for Atlanta, Hyeseong Kim and Alex Freeland check in to cover the middle infield and round out the lineup.

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Pitching Matchup

Braves Starter: RHP Spencer Strider (0-0, 8.10 ERA)

Quick snapshot:

• 8.10 ERA / 6.08 xERA / 7.93 FIP

• 31.6% K / 26.3% BB / 5.3% K-BB%

Pitch mix:

• vs LHH: 44% four-seamer, 35% curveball, 14% slider, 4% changeup

• vs RHH: 63% four-seamer, 25% slider, 13% curveball

Who to watch:

• Only seven Dodgers have ever faced Strider, and results are mixed. Will Smith is 5-9 with three RBI, while Max Muncy is 0-9 and Kyle Tucker is 1-6. Freddie Freeman is 2-8.

Opposing Starter: LHP Blake Snell (2026 Debut)

Quick snapshot (2025):

• 2.35 ERA / 3.27 xERA / 2.69 FIP

• 28.3 K% / 10.2 BB% / 18.1% K-BB%

The arsenal:

• Four-seamer (44%, 95.1 mph)

• Changeup (24%, 85.5 mph)

• Curveball (22%, 80.6 mph)

• Slider (11%, 88.2 mph)

How he attacked hitters (all graphics courtesy of Thomas Nestico)

vs LHH: Mostly a three-pitch mix, ramping up curveballs when ahead

vs RHH: Mostly a three-pitch mix, prioritizing fastballs early, ramping up curveball use when ahead, and changeups when behind

Sequencing:

How to read a plinko chart: Each circle represents the usage of a pitcher’s arsenal in a given count (color key is on the bottom of the graphic). The thickness of the connecting lines reflects how often each count occurs, helping show how a pitcher navigates an at-bat.

What This Means for the Braves

• Not a ton of success on Atlanta’s roster against Snell: Sean Murphy has one homer and three hits in just six at-bats off the lefty, while Mauricio Dubón also has a home run but it’s also his only hit in five at-bats off of Snell.

  • The flip side here is Ozzie Albies is just 2-10, both singles, while Olson is batting .188 in 16 ABs, and Austin Riley is 1-8.

• I don’t know how much depth Los Angeles can realistically expect out of Snell here - he threw 126 total pitches across his three rehab starts, facing just 32 batters. This is likely a 75-pitch limit for the lefty.

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Braves Bullpen Status

Likely available:

• The high-leverage options have mostly had three days off since they last pitched.

Used recently

• Aaron Bummer threw nine pitches to get through the eighth last night (although all of the contact allowed was deep fly balls). If the Braves need him to come back today, he likely can.

Potential limitations:

• Didier Fuentes threw 47 pitches on Wednesday and likely won’t be available for one more day.

Quick takeaway:

• The Braves are in a very good spot to seal a win…if they can get to the late innings with a lead.

Opponent Bullpen Status

Likely available:

• Jack Dryer and Edgardo Henriquez are both very fresh and likely to get into today’s game. Dryer’s been a popular piggyback option for LA in recent seasons, so watch for multiple out of him if Snell can’t make it very deep in the game before hitting his pitch limit.

Used recently

• Set up man Alex Vesia and closer Tanner Scott both threw yesterday, but combined for sixteen pitches and can likely come back to close out a win for LA if needed.

Potential limitations

• Will Klein’s likely going to be given the day off unless things get dire, given their typical usage of the longman.

Quick takeaway:

• LA has the pieces needed to handle a win, but I‘m sure they’d love some surprising length out of Snell.

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What to Watch Today

• For Strider, it comes down to three things, in this order: Fastball shape, locations, and fastball velocity. He ramped up the curveball usage in Colorado - was that because his fastball shape was negatively impacted by the altitude, or the fact he couldn’t reliably get it into the zone?

• For Snell, Atlanta’s new offensive approach of working counts and getting their walks sets them up well with a starter all too willing to issue a walk instead of leaving a mistake over the plate. Can they capitalize on Snell’s largesse with free passes to get some crooked numbers on the board?

Final Thought

Atlanta’s an underdog on the money line (FanDuel) in what’s expected to be a low-ish scoring game, but this one’s completely up to whichever injury returner locks in on the mound and holds down the other offense.

Let’s Talk About It

If you’d like to also watch this, here’s the Braves Today live stream from this afternoon, after lineups were announced.