Brewers-Braves G3 FAQ (LIVE on TBS)

October 11th, 2021

MILWAUKEE -- The Braves are back in Atlanta with home-field advantage in the National League Division Series.

After splitting two games with the Brewers, the Braves now get two games at home, beginning with today's Game 3 at Truist Park. So far, each team's top starting pitchers have delivered. Milwaukee's Corbin Burnes tossed six scoreless innings in the Crew's Game 1 win, then Max Fried lifted Atlanta to a Game 2 victory with six scoreless frames of his own.

“You come on the road in the playoffs, you want to split,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “Obviously, you'd love to take two. But if you split, that's a good thing. Now, we'll go home, try to win a game on Monday.”

And the Brewers’ goal?

“Win two more games,” outfielder Christian Yelich said. “We knew it was going to be a tough series. You don’t go into these assuming there’s going to be a sweep. You think there’s going to be back-and-forths. We’re expecting a great atmosphere. They’re a tough team. We have to play well to come out on top.”

When is the game and how can I watch it
Game 3 is scheduled to start at 1:07 p.m. ET/12:07 CT on Monday at Truist Park and will be televised on TBS. It is also available to stream on MLB.TV with authentication.

What are the starting lineups?
Brewers: The Crew has sent 66 batters to the plate in the first two games of the series and has produced only one run-scoring result: Rowdy Tellez’s two-run home run in a 2-1 win in Game 1. Milwaukee is 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, with seven of those empty at-bats coming over the final four innings of Game 2. In the interest of sparking things, the Brewers opted to start Luis Urías over Eduardo Escobar at third base in Game 3. Explained manager Craig Counsell on Monday morning: “I think it's a little bit of everything in there. A little pitcher matchup in there. Urías' defense -- just his range has shown to be excellent. And there's a little pitcher matchup and good at-bats from Luis.”

Braves: Snitker made it clear he didn’t think about a lineup change after Game 1, and that didn't change for Game 3.

Who are the starting pitchers?
Brewers: The logical choice all along, Peralta (10-5, 2.81 ERA) was confirmed as the Game 3 starter by manager Craig Counsell on Sunday. Peralta was an NL Cy Young Award contender before experiencing right shoulder inflammation in mid-August and missing a couple of starts. He threw about 25 pitches in the bullpen during Game 1 ahead of a potential relief appearance.

“I have a game plan already,” Peralta said. “But most important for me is when I'm in the game, see how the game is going, what the hitters are doing. Sometimes we can see ... what they're looking for. The moment is going to tell me what to use, how I'm feeling on the mound, what's working best and all that.”

Braves: Anderson (9-5, 3.58 ERA) had only six big league appearances before being used as Atlanta’s No. 2 starter during last year’s postseason. But the lanky right-hander didn’t blink as he worked 17 2/3 scoreless innings before allowing a run in his fourth start, which came against the Dodgers in Game 7 of the NL Championship Series.

Anderson missed seven weeks after the All-Star break because of right shoulder inflammation. He didn’t record a strikeout in his first two starts off the injured list, but he totaled 24 over the three starts that followed. He also allowed two or fewer runs in three of his last four starts.

How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Brewers: Now that the Brewers won't be turning to an opener, as they occasionally have in the postseason to get desired matchups in the middle innings, they figure to have a wider range of options available in the later innings.

Braves: Right-hander Jacob Webb and left-hander A.J. Minter have often been used to bridge the gap to the seventh inning. Lefty Tyler Matzek has been given a chance to handle a majority of the high-leverage situations in the seventh or eighth innings. Luke Jackson has been the primary setup man for closer Will Smith.

Are there any relievers who are unavailable?
Brewers: After getting through Game 1 using only Burnes, Adrian Houser and closer Josh Hader, the Crew employed Hunter Strickland, Aaron Ashby and Brad Boxberger after Brandon Woodruff's start in Game 2. With a day off to travel, everyone will be available in Game 3.

Braves: Matzek threw 26 pitches in Game 2. But with Sunday’s off-day, Atlanta's relief corps should be at full strength. One guy the Braves might shy away from is right-hander Huascar Ynoa, who could be an opener for Game 4 on Tuesday.

Any injuries of note?
Brewers: None.

Braves: None.

Who is hot and who is not?
Brewers: Milwaukee has many more “nots” than hot, though Urías continues to perform, as he collected two hits in his first start of the series in Game 2. Of the six hitters who have started each of the first two games -- Wong, Adames, Yelich, García, Eduardo Escobar and Cain -- only Adames has multiple hits.

Braves: Riley has gone 3-for-8 with a homer in the series, while Freeman has drawn a walk in three of his eight plate appearances. Freeman hit .330 with a .911 OPS over his final 28 regular-season games, going back to Sept. 1. Riley hit .362 with four homers and a 1.052 OPS over his final 14 regular-season games.

Anything else fans might want to know?
The Brewers had MLB's second-best road record during the regular season at 50-31, a franchise record for victories outside of Milwaukee. Only the Giants (53-28) fared better on the road.