Dodgers Will Complete Season Sweep Of Struggling Braves

Dodgers vs. Braves, 7:00 ET

We've had the running of the Kentucky Derby pass us which is wild to think about as the years keep flying by faster and faster. Now that Sovereignty has been covered in flowers, we can all go back to not caring about horse racing. We aren't even that far removed from the last triple crown winner, but it seems like the Derby is really the only race people care about. I'll be tuned in to the next ones, but before we get there, we get a juicy matchup on Sunday Night Baseball between the Dodgers and Braves. 

There are two thoughts about the Dodgers and very little in between - either you think they ruined baseball by signing everyone and building a super team, or you think it is great for baseball and that's what all teams should be trying to do. I'm probably a little closer to in the middle, but I think every team should be trying to do something like this. The goal, if you own a team or are on a team, is to win, no matter what. There are other teams that could take down the Dodgers in a seven game series, so I don't get too worked up over them. They have issues with pitching and today one of their pitchers who is good, but not great, Dustin May, takes the mound. May is 1-1 with a 3.95 ERA, and a 1.24 WHIP. He's had one tough start and the rest have been good. He did face the Braves already this season and went five innings, allowing one hit and no earned runs. Overall, the only person who has done damage against May is Marcell Ozuna, he is 4-for-6 against May while the rest of the Braves are 0-for-23. 

SEATTLE, WA - JULY 10: Bryce Elder #55 of the Atlanta Braves talks to ESPN reporter Jeff Passan at T-Mobile Park on July 10, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images)

The Braves are a team that everyone expected to compete against these Dodgers as one of the best in the league. Sure they've had some injuries, but so has pretty much every other team. For the amount of talent on this Atlanta roster, the team is just not up to snuff. They are only 14-18 for the season, but I guess the positive for them is they are 8-5 at home and with fewer than half of their games played coming on their home turf so far, maybe some views from the home dugout are what they need in order to succeed. None of their numbers on offense or pitching are that terrible, they just aren't winning games. Today they hope that changes with Bryce Elder on the mound. Elder is 1-1 with a 5.33 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. He is better than these numbers suggest, and he has posted back-to-back quality starts. He faced the Dodgers in his first start of the season and allowed three earned runs on three hits - two of them were longballs - in four innings. 

The Braves are 0-5 against the Dodgers this season and this is their last chance to take a win from Los Angeles unless they see each other in the playoffs. I wouldn't really count on that happening though. Elder has been tagged a few times by the Dodgers hitters and I'm not really sure why we should expect much different here. I'm not the biggest May fan, but I think he pitches well against the Braves. Give me the Dodgers to win this one and complete the season sweep.

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