The Braves took a big gamble with their game plan Sunday night at Dodger Stadium. The plan paid off.
Chris Sale started Game 1 of the Braves’ Wild Card series last Tuesday against the Phillies. He then appeared in Game 3 two days later, which the Braves considered his home day.
So Sale would have had a full four days off before Sunday night’s Game 2 against the Dodgers in the National League Division Series. Instead, the Braves picked up a third straight game.
It’s the second time this postseason that left-hander Ray Kerr has started a game, and it’s the second time he’s thrived.
Against the Phillies on Thursday, Kerr threw 3 1/3 innings, allowing no runs on one hit and one walk with two strikeouts. On Sunday at Dodger Stadium, he went 2 2/3 scoreless, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out four.
“What about Ray Kerr?” Derek Jeter said on the MLB postgame show on FOX. “Let’s give it to the young man. I mean, he made Game 3 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Nobody really knew, maybe outside of the Braves organization, that he was going to play in a key Game 2 when you’re down in Dodger Stadium when the whole world was picking the Dodgers to win. And he went out and did the same thing.
“So he deserves a lot of credit. He set the tone for the Braves pitching staff and it snowballed after that.”
Kerr started it and Didier Fuentes closed it with 3 2/3 innings of one run. That run came when Max Muncy homered in the ninth inning to end Fuentes’ outing. Closer Raisel Iglesias came in and got shortstop Josue De Paula to ground out in foul territory to seal the win.
In the biggest game of his life, Ray Kerr pitched a scoreless outing at Dodger Stadium. (Photos by Daniel Shirey/MLB via Getty Images)
Fuentes made a big impression in the spring when he allowed one run, two hits and one walk over 13 2/3 innings in Grapefruit League play. He struck out 18 and allowed an opponent batting average of .049.
He eventually joined the big league club after starting the season in the minors and flourished. He had a 2.45 ERA in 58 appearances (73 1/3 innings). Now, so far in his postseason career, he’s allowed two runs in his first 6 2/3 innings.
“What can you say about Fuentes?” Alex Rodriguez asked. “Just turning 21, the Columbia native was fantastic – 3 2/3 (innings), just that one hit, the home run. Really impressive win for this team.”
Next up is a heavyweight showdown on Tuesday in Atlanta for Game 3.
For the Dodgers, it will be reigning World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who, in two years with the team, has already become a legend for his impressive October performances. Opposite him will be Sale, who has renewed his career in Atlanta after being traded there from the Red Sox in December 2023.
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