Home field is a huge advantage for Dodgers in Game 3

Braves up 2-0 in NLCS, but have lost nine in a row at Dodger Stadium

LOS ANGELES—Trailing 2-0 in the NL Championship Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers have the Atlanta Braves right where they want them. At their house.

The Braves’ last win at Dodger Stadium was June 9, 2018. They’ve lost nine straight in Los Angeles, including getting swept in a three-game series in late August and shut out twice in the 2018 NL Division Series.

Going back to the 2013 NLDS, the Braves have dropped 19 of their past 22 in L.A.

The Dodgers were an MLB-best 58-23 at home, ending the regular season on a franchiserecord 15-game win streak at Chavez Ravine. But as a wildcard team, they don’t have home-field advantage despite 107 wins.

The series resumes Tuesday night with Game 3 at Dodger Stadium. Charlie Morton (0-1, 3.86 ERA in the post-season) starts for the Braves. Walker Buehler (0-1, 3.38), a 16-game winner in the regular season, takes the mound for the Dodgers.

“If the baseball sayings are right, you’re only as good as your next day’s starting pitcher,” Dodgers all-star pitcher Max Scherzer said, “and so we got Walk going on the mound and we definitely believe we can win with him. Our mindset is just win the next game.”

Buehler will start on two extra days’ rest after opening Game 4 of the NLDS on short rest a week ago. The Cy Young Award contender has proven to be reliable in big games, with a 2.50 ERA in 13 career post-season starts.

The Dodgers have been down before against Atlanta. Playing last post-season at a neutral site in Texas, they overcame a 3-1 deficit to beat the Braves in the NLCS. L.A. went on to win its first World Series championship since 1988.

Game 4 is Wednesday and a possible Game 5 the following day, cutting out any rest for the bullpen and seemingly making it harder for the Dodgers to use their starters in relief, as they did in the first two games.

On offence, the Dodgers are 1 for 18 with runners in scoring position and had six runs and 14 hits in the first two games. Still, both came down to the bottom of the ninth.

The Dodgers’ big hitters — Corey Seager, NL batting champion Trea Turner and Mookie Betts — have yet to get going. The team hit 237 homers — fourth-best in the majors — during the regular season, but has just seven post-season.

“I think in this particular instance it’s an approach thing (and at) certain times in scoring position we’re expanding (the strike zone) too much,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.