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Dodgers defeat the Braves, 8-6
Ninth inning
Dodgers: Left-hander Lucas Luetge now pitching for the Braves. Freddie Freeman singled to left. Will Smith lined to left. Max Muncy struck out swinging. J.D. Martinez grounded to short.
Braves: Michael Harris II struck out swinging. Ronald Acuña Jr. grounded to second. Matt Olson grounded to third. Dodgers win.
Final score: Dodgers 8, Braves 6
We go to the ninth, 8-6 Dodgers
Eighth inning
Dodgers: Right-hander Kirby Yates now pitching for the Braves. Miguel Vargas struck out looking. James Outman walked. Miguel Rojas lined to right. Mookie Betts flied to right.
Braves: Phil Bickford now pitching for the Dodgers. Austin Riley struck out swinging. Eddie Rosario singled to right. Oscar Albies struck out looking. Brusdar Graterol replaced Bickford. Marcell Ozuna doubled to right, scoring Rosario. Orlando Arcia grounded to short.
Score after eight: Dodgers 8, Braves 6
J.D. Martinez hits second homer of game for 8-5 lead
Seventh inning
Dodgers: Will Smith grounded to third. Max Muncy singled. Muncy was caught stealing. J.D. Martinez homered to center. Chris Taylor, batting for David Peralta, struck out swinging.
Braves: Yency Almonte is now pitching for the Dodgers. Ronald Acuña popped to short. Matt Olson struck out looking. Sean Murphy fouled to third.
Score after seven: Dodgers 8, Braves 5
Dodgers extend lead to 7-5
Sixth inning
Dodgers: Right-hander Jose Jiménez now pitching for the Braves. Miguel Vargas struck out looking. James Outman fouled to first. Miguel Rojas doubled to left. Left-hander A.J. Minter replaced Jiménez Mookie Betts singled to left, scoring Rojas, Betts taking second on the throw home. Freddie Freeman struck out swinging.
Braves: Caleb Ferguson now pitching for the Dodgers. Marcell Ozuna singled to right. Orlando Arcia grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Michael Harris II struck out swinging.
Score after six: Dodgers 7, Braves 5
Dodgers have 6-5 lead thanks to Freddie Freeman’s three-run homer
Fifth inning
Dodgers: Miguel Rojas singled to center. Mookie Betts walked. Freddie Freeman homered to right. And just like that, Dodgers lead 6-4. Will Smith lined to center. Max Muncy struck out looking. J.D. Martinez singled to center. David Peralta lined to short.
Braves: Ronald Acuña walked. Matt Olson walked. Eight straight pitches outside the strike zone. Evan Phillips replaced Gavin Stone. Acuña stole third when the entire Dodger defense seemed to forget he was on base. Sean Murphy grounded to short, forcing Olson, Acuña scoring. Austin Riley doubled to left, Murphy to third. Eddie Rosario lined to center. Great, great diving catch by Outman. Ozzie Albies grounded to second.
Score after five: Dodgers 6, Braves 5
Dodgers narrow Braves’ lead to 4-3
Fourth inning
Dodgers: Freddie Freeman doubled to center. Will Smith flied to right, Freeman to third. Max Muncy grounded to first, scoring Freeman. J.D. Martinez singled to center. David Peralta triple to right, scoring Martinez. Miguel Vargas walked. James Outman grounded to third.
Braves: Marcell Ozuna flied to left. Orlando Arcia singled to left. Michael Harris II grounded into a 3-6-3 double play.
Score after four: Braves 4, Dodgers 3
It’s 4-1 Braves after three innings
Third inning
Dodgers: James Outman struck out swinging. Miguel Rojas flied to center. Mookie Betts struck out swinging.
Braves: Austin Riley walked. Eddie Rosario grounded into a 6-3 double play. Ozzie Albies lined to right.
Score after three: Braves 4, Dodgers 1
Dodgers get on board on J.D. Martinez’s homer
Second inning
Dodgers: Max Muncy popped to second. J.D. Martinez homered to left center. David Peralta struck out swinging. Miguel Vargas fouled to first.
Braves: Ronald Acuña Jr. grounded to short. Matt Olson struck out swinging. Sean Murphy flied to center.
Score after two: Braves 4, Dodgers 1
Braves storm to 4-0 lead in first inning
First inning
Dodgers: Mookie Betts flied to right. Freddie Freeman struck out swinging. Will Smith grounded to second.
Braves: Ronald Acuña Jr. doubled to center. It looks like James Outman misread a catchable ball. Matt Olson grounded to first, Acuña to third. Sean Murphy singled to center, scoring Acuña. Austin Riley walked. Eddie Rosario homered to right. It’s 4-0 Braves. Ozzie Albies flied to center. Marcell Ozuna walked. Orlando Arcia singled to right, Ozuna to second. Michael Harris II flied to left.
Score after one: Braves 4, Dodgers 0
Start of Dodgers vs. Braves delayed because of rain
The start of Monday’s game between the Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves, originally scheduled for 4:20 p.m. PDT, has been delayed because of rain. No new start time has been announced.
Roughly 40 minutes before the game, the Truist Park field crew deployed a tarp over the infield shortly after rain began to fall.
First pitch is now scheduled for 5 p.m. Pacific (8 p.m. local time in Atlanta).
Today’s Dodgers starting lineup
The Dodgers’ starting lineups for today’s game with the Braves:
Freddie Freeman’s second trip back to Atlanta not nearly as emotional as the first
ATLANTA — Freddie Freeman is returning to Atlanta this week.
The tearful emotions that marked his first homecoming here last year are not.
Instead, this series feels like a much more routine road trip for the Dodgers first baseman and former Braves star.
Two years removed from his stunning departure from Atlanta in free agency, parting ways with the Braves only months after winning a World Series with the club in 2021, Freeman downplayed the significance of this year’s trip back.
He was happy to see old teammates, club staff and the fans who cheered him for his first 12 seasons in the majors.
But the raw feelings he experienced in his first trip back last year, when he got choked up in a pregame news conference and on-field ceremony, had long since dissipated.
“Obviously, it’s a massive difference,” Freeman said before Monday’s game. “Now, it’s just a lot of smiles coming in.”
Last year, Freeman acknowledged he wasn’t sure what to expect after he and the Braves failed to strike a new deal to keep him in Atlanta, eventually leading to his six-year, $162-million signing with the Dodgers before the start of last season.
“I didn’t know what to feel going into it,” he said. “I just let emotions go.”
Another difference this year: Freeman is returning to Atlanta — where he still spends time in the offseason — with his former Braves teammate Jason Heyward.
Freeman and Heyward debuted with the Braves in 2010 and remained close friends even after Heyward left Atlanta in 2015. They were eventually reunited with the Dodgers this season.
“Obviously having your best friend here makes it a little easier,” Freeman said.
Freeman enters this series as one of the hottest hitters in baseball. He’s on an 11-game hitting streak, is batting .364 in May and is in the top 10 in the majors in on-base-plus-slugging percentage (.941) on the season.
With Trayce Thompson mired in historic slump, how much leash can Dodgers give him?
ST. LOUIS — For a brief moment, it appeared Trayce Thompson’s historic hitless streak had finally been broken.
In the sixth inning of Friday night’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals, the slumping Dodgers outfielder worked a full count, squared up an outside fastball on the payoff pitch, and sent the ball soaring toward the gap in right field.
As he peeled out of the box, the ball having jumped off his bat at 103 mph, Thompson took a wide turn around first and began charging to second.
More than a month removed from recording his last hit, the veteran fan favorite was thinking extra bases.
“He would do a lot,” manager Dave Roberts later said, “for that scoreboard to say ‘hit’ on it.”
More umpire controversy, another bad Clayton Kershaw start mark Dodgers’ loss
ST. LOUIS — A night after his controversial called third strike ended one Dodgers loss, umpire Paul Emmel was in the middle of more controversy with the team Sunday.
In the fourth inning of the Dodgers’ 10-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, Max Muncy was ejected by Emmel after being rung up on a called strike, getting tossed by the crew chief — who had cycled to third base Sunday — after continuing to complain about the call on his way back to the dugout.
Unlike Saturday night, when Emmel’s missed call in a Mookie Betts at-bat extinguished a potential ninth-inning comeback, Sunday’s ejection of Muncy had minimal impact on the rest of the game.
Dodgers TV schedule for the 2023 regular season
Here’s a look at the Dodgers TV schedule for the 2023 regular season. All times and broadcast/streaming options are subject to change.