'Locked On Dodgers' Host Jeff Snider Talks LA Matching Up Against MLB-Best Atlanta Braves, Dodgers' Pitching Without Julio Urias, And More!
MLB is going strong heading into the postseason.
To cap off a memorable season where league-wide game attendance numbers jumped and new rules ushered in a more accessible product, the MLB is ready to deliver on elite postseason matchups.
Talking Dodgers With 'Locked On Dodgers' Host Jeff J. Snider
Two teams leading phenomenal campaigns in the NL are the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ronald Acuna Jr. is the favorite to win NL MVP. (Photo by Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images)
As perennial contenders for the National League pennant, the Braves and Dodgers brace for a potential brawl in the NLCS this year.
The MLB-best Braves visited Dodger Stadium at the start of September and looked commanding against the NL West powerhouse, taking 3 of 4 games in the series.
After the Braves-Dodgers' recent series in L.A., do the Dodgers stand a chance of upsetting the Braves?
"Locked On Dodgers" host Jeff J. Snider joined OutKick to discuss his team's recent run-in with the Atlanta Braves and the Dodgers' pitching situation without longtime starter Julio Urias.
Freddie Freeman reacts during the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images)
Will losses in early September resonate for the Dodgers in October? Particularly if they face the Braves in the postseason.
Dodgers Sizing Up Against The Braves
Jeff: "It definitely means something. We knew the Braves were a very good team. They had the best record in baseball. And so it's not surprising to discover that they were a very good team. I would say that they're probably a little bit better team than the Dodgers, which is what the records would have already told us anyway."
After 2022's unkept promise of a Mets-Dodgers NLCS series, Jeff says this dream matchup is all but guaranteed.
Jeff: "One thing Dodger fans know from the last 11 years, it's that the best team doesn't always win in the postseason and that's usually gone against us. ... The Braves will be favored going in, but it doesn't mean that the Dodgers are destined to lose."
Dodgers Set To Move On From Julio Urias
Veteran Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias was arrested Sunday evening on suspicion of felony domestic assault.
Counted as the second instance in the past four years, Urias' days pitching for the Dodgers are seemingly over.
Julio Urias heads to administrative list amid investigation. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Talking Dodgers Pitching, Clayton Kershaw
OutKick's Ian Miller, Jeff and I discussed the Dodgers' pitching situation heading into October, including Clayton Kershaw's sub-par appearance on the mound against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday.
Ian: "Losing Urias is one thing, but when you see Clayton Kershaw out there losing two, three miles an hour over this season's velocity and Dave Roberts coming out and saying, 'this is just something he's going to have to deal with.' And as long as he's healthy, he's going to pitch. ...
"Does that raise the level of concern even higher?"
Jeff: "It definitely does, although honestly, the velocity doesn't concern me nearly as much as the command does. You know that Kershaw walked five batters . He gave up a home run to Josh Bell because he just threw a terrible pitch, a pitch that Clayton Kershaw doesn't throw very often. And that concerns me more.
"I think Kershaw can be successful with his four-pitch mix now that he has the splitter ... I think he'd be successful if he can locate. And that's going to be the big question; we can cross our fingers and hope that the fastball picks back up a little bit over the last month of the season, too. But more realistically hope that the command comes back."