When the 2013 MLB season began, the Los Angeles Dodgers stumbled out the gate while Justin Upton powered the Atlanta Braves to an early lead in their division. Though Upton went cold after April, the Braves stayed hot and ran away with the NL East, while the Dodgers caught fire when Yasiel Puig was brought in and easily on the NL West. Tonight the 2 seed Braves play host to the 3 seed Dodgers in Game 1 of their Division Playoff best of five series with the winner taking on the winner of the Cardinals and Pirates series in the NLCS. A link to watch Dodgers at Braves MLB Baseball NL Divisional Playoff Game 1 online free live streaming on TBS is waiting below.
The Braves put up a losing record in September yet it didn’t matter as they had clinched an otherwise weak division long before then. Though the Braves come in the higher seed, they are quite banged up and many believe they don’t have the bats or the pitching to match up against a loaded Dodgers lineup despite some unlikely names stepping up and big names falling back.
All the early noise surrounding the Braves was about Justin and B.J. Upton being united in the same outfield. Justin had a great start but became his old inconsistent and strikeout-prone self starting in May, while B.J. decided to cash his big free agent check and not show up, putting up a pitiful .184 batting average and earning a permanent spot on the bench. Dan Uggla, a former huge contributor for the Marlins and Braves, didn’t even make the 25-man postseason roster after hitting .179.
Stepping in to boost the offense is Evan Gattis, a non-roster player who made the team in spring training and then went on to belt 21 homers and 65 RBIs, the latter the most by any rookie in the NL. Gattis will be rewarded for his strong play tonight when he gets to bat cleanup as we watch Dodgers at Braves: MLB Baseball NL Divisional Playoff Game 1 online free live streaming on TBS.
The Braves will have to face Dodgers starting pitcher and ace Clayton Kershaw tonight, owner of a 16-9 record that could have been much higher if his offense was clicking earlier in the season. With a 1.83 ERA, Kershaw should win the Cy Young and could end up starting Game 5 if necessary. The Braves counter with starting pitcher Kris Medlen and his 15-12 record and 3.11 ERA. Medlen lost last year’s one-game Wild Card playoff with the Cardinals, but will get a chance at redemption up against Kershaw.
Most eyes will be on Yasiel Puig, the rookie Dodgers outfielder who got his team turned around back in June and went on to bat .319 with 19 home runs and 42 RBIs since getting called up. Puig’s reputation is that he doesn’t respect the game or his opponents, so it will be interesting to see how his attitude translates into the postseason and whether Don Mattingly can talk some sense into him.
The Los Angeles Dodgers take on the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of their Divisional Playoff Series with a start time of 8:37pm EST / 5:37pm PST on TBS in high definition (HD). Cable or satellite subscribers with TBS as one of their channels on the dial have the choice to watch Dodgers at Braves: free online live streaming of tonight’s Divisional Playoff Game 1 on via the TBS website app right here by using the login information provided by their satellite or cable provider. I predict Kershaw is too much for the Braves and the Dodgers take a 1-0 series lead.
