The 2021 MLB playoffs continue with the NLDS series that pits the Atlanta Braves against the Milwaukee Brewers, the National League East and National League Central division winners, respectively. The five-game series gets underway on Oct. 8 in Milwaukee.
This matchup marks a bit of a homecoming for the Braves, who before settling in Atlanta in 1966 had called Milwaukee home, but the city is a Brewers town now, so it won’t be a warm welcome. The winner of this series will get a matchup with either the Los Angeles Dodgers or the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS.
Before either team or fan bases looks ahead to that though, here is the schedule, matchup preview and how to watch the Braves vs Brewers NLDS.
Atlanta Braves vs Milwaukee Brewers NLDS schedule
Here is the full schedule for the Braves vs Brewers NLDS (* denotes if necessary; ** denotes time could change based on conclusion of other series):
Oct. 8: Atlanta Braves 1, Milwaukee Brewers 2
Oct. 9: Atlanta Braves 3, Milwaukee Brewers 0
Oct. 11: Milwaukee Brewers 0, Atlanta Braves 3
Oct. 12: Milwaukee Brewers 4, Atlanta Braves 5
Braves vs Brewers matchup preview
By record alone, it would seem that the Milwaukee Brewers would have the edge in their NLDS series against the Atlanta Braves (the Brewers won 95 games to the Braves 88), but it’s the playoffs, where anything can happen. So what’s the lay of the land heading into Game 1.
For the Braves, they will be throwing out Charlie Morton in the first game of the series, who had an overall record of 14-6 with an ERA of 3.34 in the regular season and has plenty of postseason experience, previously with the Houston Astros. The Braves have already announced their Game 2 starter as well, Max Fried, who went 14-7 with an ERA of 3.04 in all of his regular season starts.
The Braves also have a number of players who can swing the bat pretty effectively, including their entire infield — Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley and Dansby Swanson — all hitting 25 or more home runs this season. However, some of the Braves best players, including star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., are injured and will be unavailable this postseason.
Even without its star player, most of this Braves team has experience, reaching the NLCS in the 2020 season before ultimately losing to eventual World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Milwaukee will counter the Braves with their Game 1 and Game 2 starting pitchers Corbin Burnes (11-5, 2.43 ERA) and Brandon Woodruff (9-10, 2.56 ERA); they also have Freddy Peralta (10-5, 2.81 ERA) who will likely start in Game 3 and relief pitcher Josh Hader. Pitching is by far and away the best thing the Brewers have going for them, and could carry them this postseason.
Of course you never know when a talent like Christian Yelich could turn it on. While Yelich’s numbers have been nothing to write home about (nine home runs and 51 RBIs in 117 games), watch out if the former MVP gets hot. No Brewers batter put up huge numbers this season, so expect them to be hoping to keep these games low-scoring. If that happens they’ll likely be in good shape.
Milwaukee is favored heading into the series.
How to watch Braves vs Brewers NLDS in the U.S.
TBS is the home of the entire National League playoff slate until the World Series. TBS is a cable network, so pay-TV subscribers must double check that their service includes the channel; TBS is a pretty basic component in a majority of packages, though, and is available on Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV.
TBS also has its own app for viewers with access to their channel to watch the games on either their mobile devices, TV devices (Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Android TV, Xbox and Google Chromecast) or through its website, TBS.com, on a computer.
How to watch Braves vs Brewers NLDS in the U.K.
Even though baseball is America’s pastime, any fans of the game over in the U.K. can still tune in for playoff and World Series action. BT Sport will broadcast the games to its subscribers through its ESPN subchannel.
You will need to be a BT Sports subscriber to watch the network’s coverage of the MLB playoffs. A monthly subscription is available at £25.
How to watch Braves vs Brewers NLDS from anywhere in the world
You don’t have to be in the U.S. (or even the U.K.) to watch the 2021 MLB playoffs from first pitch to the last out. MLB has shared all of the international broadcasters covering the games, but if you’ve cut the cord entirely and none of these options are immediately available to you, there’s still the option of a VPN, or virtual private network.
A VPN is designed to route network traffic through a specific set of servers in a specific country, allowing viewers to watch content on an encrypted feed over a computer.
