Braves switch to Kerr for Game 2 vs. Dodgers, push Sale to Game 3 — SkimNews
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- Atlanta Braves adjusted their Game 2 pitching plans for Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, starting Ray Kerr and pushing ace Chris Sale to a potential Game 3 in the best-of-five NLDS.
- Chris Sale was pushed back because he was used in relief during the Wild Card Game 3 clincher against the Philadelphia Phillies on just one day of rest, prompting the Braves to give him additional recovery time.
- Ray Kerr was the surprise starter in that Wild Card clincher, throwing 3⅓ scoreless innings in his postseason debut and earning a fifth career start Sunday.
- The Braves are staging a second straight bullpen game, meaning Kerr is not expected to carry a traditional starter's workload against the Dodgers.
- The Dodgers hold a 1-0 series lead heading into Sunday's Game 2 in Atlanta.
Why it matters: Down 1-0 in a best-of-five series, the Braves are gambling that resting Sale pays off more than getting his ace two starts. By running a bullpen game with Kerr as the opener, Atlanta is asking its relief corps to cover roughly seven innings, a high-variance strategy that could either preserve Sale for a winner-take-all Game 3 or leave the team buried in an 0-2 hole.
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