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LOS ANGELES — Late Friday night, minutes after the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers staged a tightly contested, 11-inning game, Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández was asked if it was indicative of how closely matched these two teams remain. A smile crept in.

“We’re pretty close,” Hernández said, “but I’m always going to say we’re better.”

A mere 38 hours later, Hernández delivered the definitive blow of what seemed like a defining series — a sixth-inning two-run homer that extended a Dodgers lead, propelled Los Angeles to another victory and sealed a three-game sweep over the mighty Braves at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers overcame the Braves on Friday (final score: 4-3), overwhelmed them Saturday (11-2) and outlasted them Sunday (5-1). Their offense combined for eight homers — all by Shohei Ohtani, Max Muncy and Hernández — and their pitchers held the Braves to six runs and 17 hits in 29 innings.

Asked for his biggest takeaway from this series, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said: “If we pitch well, we can keep any team at bay. With our offense, every game is winnable.”

The Braves arrived in L.A. with the best record in the major leagues and left with the second-best record in the National League East, falling two games behind the Philadelphia Phillies — not to mention one game behind the Dodgers. But the season is young. Sentiments fluctuate. And you’d be hard-pressed to find a reasonable baseball observer who doesn’t still believe the Dodgers and Braves are the two best teams in the NL and perhaps, even after the Braves’ miserable weekend, the entire sport.

So what, exactly, could we glean from their first head-to-head matchup this season? Below is a look at what we learned.


What was the biggest question going into the series? Did either team answer it?

Alden Gonzalez: Heading into the series, it was shocking that the Braves held the best record in the NL even though Ronald Acuña Jr., a unanimous MVP last year, had hit just one home run and had yet to look much like his typical superstar self. Nothing drives this offense quite like Acuña from the leadoff spot. And yet the Braves began the weekend ranked second in the majors — behind only the Dodgers — in OPS, with Acuña’s mark sitting at just .689. I wondered if a series like this was the type that might spark Acuña — and it might have. Acuña homered Friday, then went 3-for-4 with a double in Saturday’s blowout loss. He began the month of May with three consecutive multihit games before an 0-for-3 showing Sunday. If he truly gets hot, this Braves offense will elevate to yet another level.

David Schoenfield: To beat the Dodgers, you have to hold the top of the order in check. The Braves did a reasonably OK job of that on Friday; the Dodgers’ top four hitters — Mookie Betts, Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith — went 3-for-17 with three walks, including an 0-for-5 effort from Betts. After the Braves scored in the top of the 10th, Ohtani tied the game up with a base hit on a soft line drive up the middle in the bottom of the inning — some bad luck for Raisel Iglesias, who made a good pitch, but Ohtani reached out and just poked it past a diving Orlando Arcia. Andy Pages would then win the game for the Dodgers in the bottom of the 11th on a blooper to center field with a 63-mph exit velocity.

Saturday was a different story, though: The Dodgers’ top four went 8-for-18 with two walks, including a home run from Ohtani. Of course, the big story in the 11-2 blowout was Muncy, the No. 5 hitter, blasting three home runs — a reminder that the Dodgers lineup doesn’t necessarily end after Smith. Sunday was the Ohtani show: 4-for-4, 3 RBIs and two home runs, including a two-run blast in the first inning off Max Fried that set the Dodgers on their way to the sweep. So, no, it’s hard to say the Braves did enough to contain Ohtani & Co.


What surprised you the most?

Gonzalez: For as menacing as the top half of the Dodgers’ lineup has been, the bottom half has been sorely lacking — which is why the emergence of Pages has been so important. Pages, a 23-year-old outfield prospect from Cuba, had four hits in Friday’s series opener, including a walk-off single in the 11th inning. He followed that by going 2-for-5 with a home run Saturday. Pages has yet to draw his first walk this season, but he’s OPS’ing .903 in 74 plate appearances. He was looked at as a temporary replacement while Jason Heyward works through a back issue, but given the struggles of Chris Taylor, James Outman and Gavin Lux — they’ve combined for a .153/.247/.203 slash line — Pages has evolved into a crucial contributor.

Schoenfield: Matt Olson‘s struggles at the plate continue. He actually started the season off well, with three doubles on Opening Day and hitting .293 with a .973 OPS through 14 games. He looked primed for another monster season. Instead, je’s hitting a few too many grounders and too many fly balls with too high of a launch angle. After going 1-for-10 in this series, he is 6-for-59 (.102) over his past 18 games with just one double and no home runs.

The good news, though: He should be fine, as it appears he’s hitting into a lot of bad luck. A hard-hit ball is one hit at 95 mph, and Olson remains in the 98th percentile among all hitters in hard-hit rate. Entering Sunday, the MLB average on hard-hit balls was .480, but he has just three hits and a sac fly on his past 23 hard-hit balls. In the previous series against Seattle, Olson got robbed a couple of times on hard-hit balls. Still, seeing him with a sub-.200 average and just three home runs is a surprise.


What was the biggest concern for either team?

Gonzalez: My biggest concern is for opposing pitchers’ ability to tame the top half of the Dodgers’ lineup. The L.A. offense got so much hype heading into this season, and somehow the top of their lineup has exceeded expectations — with the prowess of Betts, Ohtani and Freeman in the first three spots, but also with the continued emergence of Smith and Muncy and Hernández behind him. Betts and Smith didn’t do much this series, but Ohtani homered and Hernandez homered a combined five times, Freeman doubled and tripled Saturday and Muncy registered his first career three-homer game that same night. Keeping them all in check has seemed impossible all season — as the Braves just learned. Betts, Ohtani, Freeman and Smith in particular have combined for a .337/.432/.567 slash line with 18 home runs this year — even though Freeman hasn’t necessarily felt right for most of it. Ridiculous.

Schoenfield: The continued slow starts in the power department for not just Olson but Acuña and Austin Riley, too. Last year, the three averaged a home run every 14.3 at-bats; this year, it’s one every 46.9 at-bats. As a result, the Braves are way down as a team in home runs, averaging exactly one home run per game compared to last year’s onslaught of 1.9 per game. Olson and Riley are striking out about the same rate as last season, so for them that hasn’t been the issue. Acuña, however, has seen his strikeout rate climb from 11.4% last season to 26.8% in 2024 — similar to where he was in 2021-22, when he struck out 23.6% of the time. After a stretch of 13 strikeouts in his five previous games before this series, maybe it’s a good sign that he went 2-for-5 with a home run and just one strikeout Friday and then 3-for-4 with no strikeouts Saturday. (He did, however, go hitless with one walk and one strikeout Sunday.)


Which team is better set up for October?

Gonzalez: The recipe for October success in this era is either highly complex or nonexistent. Last fall provided a glaring example, with the Braves and Dodgers each bounced in the division series by two teams that finished a combined 30 games below them in the standings. Still: If there is a list of ingredients necessary for thriving in the playoffs, it’s premier talent, pitching depth, big-game experience and health. As far as the Dodgers and Braves are concerned — check, check, check and, well, we’ll see. Nonetheless, both teams are clearly built to win a championship.

If I’m forced to pick one, I’m choosing the Braves for something Roberts alluded to this weekend — their string of effective left-handed relievers in A.J. Minter, Aaron Bummer, Dylan Lee and Tyler Matzek. They all have a history of being tough against opposing left-handed hitters, which could be a factor if you’re facing, say, Freeman, Ohtani and Muncy in the late stages of an NLCS. Will it ultimately matter? Who knows. But if there’s one staff built to handle an offense as devastating as the Dodgers’, it’s probably the Braves’.

Schoenfield: Honestly… it’s too early to tell here. I’m old school in believing that two top-flight starters will go a long way in October, and the Dodgers have that in Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Glasnow held the Braves to two runs with 10 strikeouts Friday, and while Yamamoto didn’t pitch in this series, he has a 1.64 ERA since that first-inning disaster against the Padres in Korea. On the other hand, despite the results of this series, the Braves could still match up with the Dodgers in October not only with all those lefty relievers, but with Max Fried and Chris Sale in the rotation. Though Fried has never had much of a platoon split in his career, Sale remains tough on lefties with that wipeout slider (.167 average this season) and that could be trouble for Ohtani, Freeman and Muncy.


What will you be watching for either team moving forward?

Gonzalez: Walker Buehler returns to the Dodgers’ rotation Monday after a 20-month-long rehabilitation from a second Tommy John surgery. Will he be the electric Buehler we remember from the early part of 2022, or some diluted version of that? Perhaps the same can be asked for Bobby Miller, who’s nursing shoulder inflammation but should soon face hitters again and begin his progression in earnest. Clayton Kershaw, who threw his first bullpen session Friday — precisely six months after offseason shoulder surgery — won’t return until sometime in the second half. Glasnow (2.70 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 50 innings this season) and Yamamoto look dominant. But the Dodgers’ success in October could hinge greatly on who follows them.

Schoenfield: The back end of the Braves’ rotation — which looks even more important now with the Phillies off to a hot start (that wasn’t the case the past two seasons, when the Braves ran away with the NL East title). Bryce Elder was an All-Star last season, but he struggled in the second half and is in the rotation only because of Spencer Strider‘s injury. The Dodgers knocked him around for seven runs and three home runs Saturday. Reynaldo Lopez has been terrific so far with a 1.50 ERA through five starts, but let’s see if he can continue to avoid the home runs that plagued him in his previous stints as a starter. Then there’s Sale. Can he make 30 starts, which he hasn’t done since 2017? The Braves might need him to do so to hold off the Phillies.

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Fantasy baseball: What to expect from Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer

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Fantasy baseball: What to expect from Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer

Boston Red Sox SS prospect Marcelo Mayer is getting the call to the major leagues, as starting 3B Alex Bregman (calf) is headed to the injured list. Fantasy managers should not expect Mayer, 22, to replace Bregman’s excellent numbers (.938 OPS), but he should see opportunity for playing time over the likes of Nick Sogard and Abraham Toro. Mayer is an excellent defensive shortstop, but he has played second base and third base at Triple-A Worcester as well this season.

Ranked No. 6 in Kiley McDaniels’ recently updated top 50 prospect rankings, Mayer hit .265/.342/.465 over 43 games and 193 plate appearances at Triple-A, with 9 home runs, 43 RBI and 2 stolen bases. The No. 4 pick in the 2021 amateur draft, Mayer hits left-handed, makes solid contact and drew a 10.4% walk rate this season. There is power upside, but as with most prospects, fantasy managers should keep initial expectations well in check.

Everyone loves the prospects until they reach the majors and alter their narrative (as most do). Chicago Cubs rookie IF Matt Shaw struggled earlier this season and was sent back to Triple-A, though he has returned to the majors. Arizona Diamondbacks SS Jordan Lawlar remains hitless in the majors this season. New Red Sox teammate Kristian Campbell is hitting .225 with a 27% strikeout rate. Hitting big league pitching can be problematic even for long-time veterans. In ESPN’s shallow standard leagues, with no middle infield spot and only nine active hitting spots, it is tough to make an argument to rush out and add Mayer. At the time of the promotion announcement, he was available in 94% of ESPN standard leagues.

Those needing to replace Bregman at third base should look at the Texas RangersJosh Jung and Jake Burger, and the Philadelphia PhilliesAlec Bohm, proven players with job security. For those looking at adding Mayer as their shortstop, Angels star Zach Neto somehow remains available in 71% of leagues, and he certainly comes recommended over Mayer, as does Colorado Rockies starter Ezequiel Tovar. Mayer will likely hit near the bottom of the Boston lineup. If he hits well, he might move up, and he might keep his roster spot even when Bregman returns to health.

It is exciting when one of the top prospects in the sport earns a promotion, but hitting a baseball against top pitching can be challenging for all. Those in deeper formats can make a better case to add Mayer and hope for the best.

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Sources: Red Sox call up heralded prospect Mayer

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Sources: Red Sox call up heralded prospect Mayer

The Boston Red Sox are calling up infielder Marcelo Mayer, the No. 6 prospect in baseball and a central part of their future who they hope can play a role in their push for a postseason berth this year, sources told ESPN.

Mayer, 22, who has excelled at shortstop as he ascended through the Red Sox’s farm system after they took him with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft, is likely to get playing time with All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman expected to land on the injured list after leaving Friday’s game with right quadriceps tightness.

At Triple-A Worcester, where Mayer was hitting .271/.347/.471 with nine home runs and 43 RBIs in 43 games, he played four games at third base. Mayer also could see time at shortstop, with Trevor Story in a profound monthlong slump.

The arrival of Mayer marks the second of Boston’s big three prospects, with Kristian Campbell earning the second-base job in spring training. After a hot start, Campbell has slumped likewise and is hitting .225/.321/.369. The third of the group, outfielder Roman Anthony, is the No. 1 prospect in MLB, according to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, and is hitting .323/.455/.513 with six home runs and 18 RBIs at Triple-A.

The loss of Bregman, who is hitting .299/.385/.553 in his first year with the Red Sox, takes an MVP-caliber bat out of a lineup that has struggled. The Red Sox lost first baseman Triston Casas for the season to a ruptured tendon in his left knee and have struggled to find a productive fill-in, amplifying calls for the team to reach into its significant minor league depth.

Boston has taken Mayer’s development slowly, with injuries limiting him to 91 games in 2022, 78 games in 2023 and 77 games last year. He is a career .273/.360/.466 hitter in 315 minor league games and projects to be a middle-of-the-order bat and Boston’s long-term solution at shortstop.

Bregman’s contract includes an opt-out after the 2025 season, opening the possibility of a shift to third for Mayer. At 6-foor-3 and 190 pounds, he has both the size and the arm strength typically sought for the position. But his glove at shortstop is regarded as above average, and Boston could opt to move Story off the position for Mayer or Ceddanne Rafaela, who also plays center field for the Red Sox.

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Cora: Bregman moving closer to possible IL stint

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Cora: Bregman moving closer to possible IL stint

BOSTON — Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman could be nearing a trip to the injured list after leaving Friday’s game with right quadriceps tightness, manager Alex Cora said.

“He’s getting an MRI. He’s sore,” Cora said at Fenway Park on Saturday morning before the Red Sox were set to face the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of a split doubleheader.

“We’ll see where he’s at,” Cora said before later adding that Bregman said it felt “worse” than he expected.

Asked whether a stint on the IL could be coming, Cora said: “I don’t want to jump into conclusions, but yes.”

If Bregman does need to go to the IL, who will play third?

Cora said the plan is for the team to “mix and match” and answered “no” when asked whether Rafael Devers could be in the immediate plans.

“There’s a lot of guys in the conversation,” Cora said. “Roster construction comes into play, guys in the minor leagues, how they fit the roster — all that stuff.”

Could Devers be in the mix at some point?

“We made a decision in the offseason, and this is where we’re going,” Cora said, without completely closing the door. “There are a few things that we took into consideration, and I think we’ve been very consistent with it.

“I’m not going react to the outside world because [they] think that’s the right move. Maybe it’s not, right? Maybe we’re doing it right? Maybe we’re doing it wrong?”

Earlier this month, Devers told the Red Sox he wasn’t moving to play first base. The designated hitter has been red-hot lately after collecting a career-best eight RBIs in a lopsided victory over the Orioles on Friday afternoon.

“I know the guy. He’s raking. He’s the best DH in the American League right now,” Cora said. “If he keeps continuing to do this, he’s going to be in the All-Star Game as the DH and going to win a Silver Slugger as a DH. This is where we’re going. We’ll continue to talk. I’m not going to say we’re going to close the door.”

Boston already lost a corner infielder for the season when first baseman Triston Casas ruptured a tendon in his left knee and had season-ending surgery. The loss of Bregman could be a big blow to a lineup that has struggled at times.

“We’ll be OK. Obviously, he’s a big part of our offense,” Cora said. “Triston is a big part of our offense. We’ve just got to find a way to score runs in a different way, and we’re prepared for that.”

Devers, the team’s third baseman for eight seasons, was moved to DH after Bregman signed a three-year, $120 million deal as a free agent and was given the job. After a slow start at the plate, Devers has heated up and is batting .299 with 12 homers and 47 RBIs.

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