NEWS » The Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers asserted their dom

inance on the first day of play in the NLDS.Now the challenge for the home sides in Friday's Game 2s is to bank off the momentum gained from Game 1 and take a 2-0 series lead into Colorado and Atlanta Kerry Wood Jersey , respectively.The Dodgers paved the easier path to victory Thursday, as they shutout the Braves at Dodger Stadium to set Clayton Kershaw up for success Friday.Milwaukee's peculiar bullpen strategy ended up working, but the Brewers needed 10 innings to dispense of the Rockies.The Brewers are expected to opt for a more conventional route with their pitching in Game 2 at Miller Park while their lineup tries to stay hot against a familiar foe. Friday NLDS ScheduleGame 2:Colorado at Milwaukee (4:15 p.m. ET, FS1)Game 2:Atlanta at Los Angeles (9:37 p.m. ET, FS1)Both games can be live-streamed on Fox Sports Go or the Fox Sports app.Brewers Looking For More Success Against AndersonTyler Anderson's August 4 start against the Brewers was one of his worst outings in the second half of the season.The left-handed starter was roughed up during a four-inning stintas the Brewers put up seven runs on seven hits.Jae C. Hong/Associated PressSix of those runs were scored in the first inning, as the top of the Milwaukee order jumped on Anderson, with Travis Shaw's grand slam highlighting the offensive outburst.In Thursday's Game 1, Christian Yelich and Ryan Braun recorded two hits each out of the No. 2 and No. 3 positions in the order.Yelich, who should be the National League MVP, continued his tear at the plate with a three-run home run in the third inning.Jeff Roberson/Associated PressIf the top third of the order attains the same level of success it had against Anderson in August and in Game 1, the Brewers will push across a few runs in the opening innings.From the Rockies' perspective, they're hoping to get similar results out of Anderson as they did in September, as he allowed four earned runs in his last three regular-season starts.In his final start before the postseason, Anderson tossed 7.2 innings of shutout ball against the Washington Nationals.Jhoulys Chacin http://www.chicagocubsteamshop.com/authentic-david-ross-jersey , who pitched for the Rockies at the start of his career, takes the mound for the Brewers in Game 2 after giving up one hit and one earned run in the NL Central tiebreaker against the Chicago Cubs Monday.Chacin's lone regular-season start against the Rockies came May 10, when he gave up four hits and two earned runs in 5.1 innings.In his last five starts, Chacin's conceded three runs or fewer, and his performance Monday suggests he'll produce another efficient outing.If Anderson and Chacin stay true to their recent form, a pitcher's duel will break out in Milwaukee, but it's hard to bet against the Brewers coming up with a few big hitsas they did in Game 1. Dodgers Trusting Kershaw To Earn Commanding LeadThe Dodgers possess an embarrassment of riches on the mound.After Hyun-Jin Ryu tossed seven shutout innings in Game 1, the Dodgers trot out Clayton Kershaw to the bump for Game 2.During the Dodgers' run to the World Series a year ago, Kershaw corrected the negative narrative surrounding his postseason performance.Kershaw won three of his first four postseason starts in 2017, and in those victories, he conceded six earned runs over 19.1 innings.Ross D. Franklin/Associated PressThe southpaw has also achieved plenty of success against Atlanta in his career, as he boasts a 4-0 record and 1.43 ERA in 10 starts versus the Braves.There's a good chance Kershaw spends as long as Ryu on the mound in Game 2, as he's lasted at least six innings in all but one of his starts since July.The one glimmer of hope the Braves have entering Game 2 comes from the amount of home runs Kershaw has given up over the last month.Six of the 17 home runs Kershaw conceded during the regular season came in September, but he didn't give up a home run as one of his five earned runs conceded Saturday against Arizona.If the Braves can take advantage of a mistake or two by Kershaw early in Game 2 Addison Russell Jersey , they could provide themselves with a needed confidence boost on the road.Even if the Braves rough up Kershaw for a run or two, their pitching staff must keep the Dodgers' offense at bay, which is no easy task.Expect Game 2 at Dodger Stadium to be more competitive than Game 1, but the Dodgers will find a way to pull away in the middle innings, as the middle of their order comes up with a few run-scoring hits in clutch situations.Follow Joe on Twitter, JTansey90Statistics obtained from Baseball Reference MESA, Ariz. (AP) — The spring training season started with a splash. Just not the kind fans hoped for.In the first major league exhibition game of the year, the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics were rained out Thursday. The Mariners roughed up Jerry Blevins and led 5-0 in the middle of the second inning when it was called — so in a game where the stats don’t count, they really won’t count.“We have our feet wet now, literally,” Athletics manager Bob Melvin said.The Cactus League opener was rained out after Major League Baseball had 54 regular-season postponements last year, the most since 1989.The Athletics and Mariners started early to give them time to prepare for their upcoming trip to Japan, where they’ll play regular-season games on March 20-21 at the Tokyo Dome.Dylan Moore, one of six players in the Mariners’ starting lineup who was new to the organization Sammy Sosa Jersey , hit a two-run double in the second off Blevins. Shed Long hit two doubles and Domingo Santana had a sacrifice fly.“Give them credit for their first at-bats of the spring in those type of conditions,” Melvin said. “They all had good at-bats.”It was an unseasonably cool 50 degrees at the start of the exhibition opener at Hohokam Stadium. Marco Gonzales pitched one inning for the Mariners before the rain came.“We had a pretty good idea it was going to rain, but I’m really glad we got Marco out there,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “That was the goal today. We were hoping to get two innings out of him, but the rain didn’t quite hold off long enough. But good start, a lot of good things.”Ichiro Suzuki, at 45 expected to play for the Mariners in the opening series in Japan, wasn’t in the lineup for Seattle. He was hit on the right foot by a pitch from Felix Hernandez during batting practice on Wednesday.The Mariners and A’s are set to try again Friday in Peoria, though the weather forecast isn’t much better.The Grapefruit League season is scheduled to begin earlier in the day when Philadelphia plays Tampa Bay in Port Charlotte, Florida.NOTES: The 20-second pitch clock that will be tried out across in spring training was not used in the Mariners-A’s game.