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As two great teams decide their series on Sunday night, let’s look at the players for the Dodgers and Braves who will have started all seven games of the 2020 NLCS. There are a lot of them.
For the Dodgers:
Mookie Betts is just 5-for-22 (.227) with no extra-base hits, but made pivotal, highlight-reel catches in both Games 5 and 6.
Corey Seager has been the best Dodgers hitter, and already has NLCS records for home runs (5) and RBI (11). He’s the frontrunner for series MVP if the Dodgers win.
Justin Turner homered Saturday, his third straight game with an extra-base hit. He’s 7-for-23 (.304/.360/.522) in the series.
Max Muncy homered in Games 2 and 3, is second on the team with six RBI in the NLCS, and has nine walks to give him a .481 on-base percentage despite hitting only .222 (4-for-18).
NLCS Game 7 lineups
| Pos | Braves | Pos | Dodgers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Braves | Pos | Dodgers |
| RF | Acuña Jr. | RF | Betts |
| 1B | Freeman (L) | SS | Seager (L) |
| DH | Ozuna | 3B | Turner |
| C | d'Arnaud | 1B | Muncy (L) |
| 2B | Albies (S) | C | Smith |
| SS | Swanson | CF | Bellinger (L) |
| 3B | Riley | LF | Pollock |
| LF | Markakis (L) | DH | Pederson (L) |
| CF | Pache | 2B | Taylor |
Will Smith starts behind the plate for the fifth time in seven games this series, starting at DH in the other two games. But his signature moment came at the plate, hitting a three-run home run off his namesake to turn Game 5 in the Dodgers’ favor.
Cody Bellinger homered and singled in his first two at-bats in Game 3, but is 1-for-12 with two walks since. He’s 4-for-23 (.174/.296/.391) with a team-high nine strikeouts. Bellinger is also one of three Dodgers ever to hit a home run in a Game 7.
On the Braves side:
Ronald Acuña Jr. is just 4-for-21 (.190/.320/.286) in the NLCS, but doubled home a run on Saturday for his first run batted in of the series.
Freddie Freeman homered in the first two games and has a team-high six RBI, hitting .409/.480/.818 for the series.
Marcell Ozuna’s 11 total bases in Game 4 set a Braves postseason record. He’s slugging .600 in the NLCS.
Travis d’Arnaud had two hits off Walker Buehler in Game 6, but is just 4-for-19 (.211) with no extra-base hits in the series. This will be his 12th start at catcher in the Braves’ 12 games this postseason.
Ozzie Albies has been fantastic, going 9-for-25 (.360/.346/.640). His home runs in the ninth innings of Games 1 and 2 made him the first Braves second baseman with home runs in consecutive postseason games.
Dansby Swanson had three hits off Buehler on Saturday, and is 6-for-23 (.261/.346/.348) with two doubles and nine strikeouts in the NLCS.
Austin Riley hit the go-ahead home run in the ninth inning of Game 1, but is just 3-for-24 (.125) in the series, his nine strikeouts tying Swanson for most on the team. Sunday is his fifth start of the NLCS at third base, along with two starts in left field.
That’s 13 players who will have started every game of this NLCS.
Chris Taylor didn’t quite make the cut of starting every game, but he’s back in the lineup after missing Game 6 with an ankle injury. Taylor starts at second base, batting ninth for the Dodgers, his 10th start of this postseason.