The Atlanta Braves are tied with the Yankees and Cubs for baseball’s best winning percentage, but they’ve got a familiar October obstacle in their path.
The Los Angeles Dodgers always seem to find another gear when it matters most, no matter how they coast through the regular season.
For Atlanta to finally get past LA this October, Ozzie Albies needs to figure out his Dodgers problem. FanSided’s Zachary Rotman highlighted Thursday how the All-Star second baseman’s struggles against Los Angeles could derail the Braves’ championship hopes.
“For [Ozzie] Albies to be as helpful for the Braves in a potential series against the Dodgers as he’s been this season, he’s going to have to get over his Los Angeles demons.”
That’s the thing – Albies is raking right now. He’s posting a .915 OPS with eight homers in 38 games, looking every bit like the player who helped Atlanta capture the 2021 World Series.
But the Dodgers have had his number for years.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Albies carries a .646 OPS against the Dodgers – his fourth-worst mark against any team he’s faced at least 100 times. It gets worse at Dodger Stadium, where his OPS drops to .584.
“Predictably, his numbers against some of the Dodgers’ elite pitchers are not good.”
That’s where things get really concerning for Atlanta. Come October, the Dodgers figure to roll out a four-man playoff rotation featuring Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow.
That’s a murderer’s row of arms that would challenge any hitter. But if Albies can find his stroke against LA’s pitching, he could be the difference maker that finally gets the Braves over the hump.
The way I see it, Atlanta’s got the talent to match up with anyone. They just need their core guys to show up when the lights are brightest – and that includes Albies finding a way to solve the Dodgers riddle that’s puzzled him for years.
