If anyone thought the sky was falling for the Los Angeles Dodgers this time last week, order has been more than restored by the two-time defending World Series champions.
After a 5-10 start to August, the Dodgers are coming off sweeps of the Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates. Ahead of the first of a three-game road series with the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, reinforcements are coming for the already imposing roster.
Right-hander Tyler Glasnow (3-0, 2.72 ERA) is slated to make his first appearance since May 6 after spending more than three months on the injured list with lower back spasms. As Los Angeles — which holds a four-game lead over Atlanta for the No. 2 seed in the National League — prepares for Glasnow’s return, the vibes have completely shifted since the club’s early-August swoon.
“We’re really excited,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, whose team boasts the NL’s third-best ERA at 3.67. “I think it’s good for us to feel like every single night we have a chance to win with the starter. On the other side, it’s daunting for opposing offenses to look at the probables and see Glasnow, (Yoshinobu) Yamamoto, (Blake) Snell, (Roki) Sasaki and then potentially Shohei (Ohtani).”
Glasnow is 2-1 with a 1.95 ERA in five career starts against the Braves.
Atlanta, meanwhile, returns home after a seven-game, four-city road trip that wrapped up Sunday night at the MLB Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pa. The Braves beat the Brewers 4-2 to salvage a week that saw them drop five of seven.
As the red-hot Philadelphia Phillies refuse to lose, Atlanta’s lead atop the NL East has been reduced from 9 1/2 games to three in less than two weeks.
Needing to help the scuffling Braves right the ship, Bryce Elder (8-7, 3.92 ERA) will make his fifth consecutive home start in the series opener. The right-hander has allowed just one run in three of his last four outings at Truist Park. Elder hasn’t pitched since Aug. 16, when he tossed six innings of one-run, four-hit ball, while striking out five and walking one in a no-decision against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Braves won 5-3.
Elder has enjoyed a bounce-back season after posting ERAs of 6.52 and 5.30 the last two campaigns. His manager, Walt Weiss, has been impressed by the toughness the 27-year-old has shown in a resurgent year.
“(Elder) has been fighting through some knee stuff,” Weiss said. “Not enough to make him miss a start, but he’s been fighting through it, and so you tip your cap to him. He continues to take the ball and has been very durable. … He’s about as levelheaded as it gets. He’s been through a lot, ups and downs, and you can never tell. … He’s the same guy all the time.”
Nine days since his last start, Elder has had plenty of time to build off his recent momentum.
“My stuff has gotten a little better than that bad stretch,” Elder said. “More than anything, I was trying to get a little too fine. (Against Arizona), I was trying to just go right at guys. I know the velocity was down, but I thought the stuff was pretty good.”
In six career starts against Los Angeles, Elder is 2-1 with a 4.20 ERA. He threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings against the Dodgers on May 10 and allowed just one hit while striking out eight and walking four in a 7-2 win.
–Field Level Media
