The Atlanta Braves need to win Game 4 to keep their season alive and force a winner-take-all Game 5 in Los Angeles.
The Braves managed to steal a game in Los Angeles despite throwing two bullpen games. They lost Game 3 with their ace, Chris Sale, on the mound and now their backs are against the wall. Tyler Mahle is slated to start for the Braves. He was great for the Braves in his last start, and he will need to show up big time in Game 4, but he is not the only Braves star who needs to have a big game.
Ronald Acuña Jr. is 3-for-21 in the postseason, and 2-for-12 against the Dodgers with two strikeouts. In the biggest series, the biggest stars need to show up, and Acuña has not this year. Acuña has not hit a postseason home run since 2020, and the team has bigger expectations from its MVP.
"He’s one of the reasons we’re out here,” Mauricio Dubón said of Acuña after the Game 3 loss, per The Athletic's Jesus Cano. “He needs to show up tomorrow.”
Dubón has surprisingly been a key player for the Braves offense this season. He is not having the best postseason either, but he is not the face of the franchise. If Acuña's bat gets going the Braves instantly become one of the best offenses in the postseason.
What's done is done, and it's now or never for Acuña. The Braves need a win at home, and their superstar outfielder is going to have to deliver at some point.