The World Series has a fresh matchup this year. Thank you, Atlanta!

 To borrow from Capital One's advertising campaign, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had the easiest decision in the history of decisions. And he whiffed on it, which cost the Dodgers a chance to repeat as World Series champions.

After Joe Kelly came out of game 5 of the NLCS on Thursday night with a shoulder injury, Roberts removed Kelly from the roster, replacing him with veteran David Price, who, people likely forget, was part of the Mookie Betts deal prior to the 2020 season. Max Scherzer, the front-runner for the NL Cy Young Award, pulled out of game 6 due to a tired, or, dead, arm, holding out hope that he could go tonight if it came down to game 7.

Ok, you're thinking. If you're Roberts, you have a fresh arm in Price, who hasn't seen much action lately. Instead, Walker Buehler, who started in place of Scherzer, and was originally set to go in game 7, was on three days rest as a result, having pitched in game 3 on Tuesday. Price never saw the mound, and, as you're about to see, Roberts' strategy blew up in his face.

Would starting Price have made a difference? Yes, it would, at least until Roberts would inevitably go to his bullpen. Buehler ends up the losing pitcher, after giving up the game winning three run homer to Eddie Rosario. Ian Anderson, who started for Atlanta, was lifted for a pinch-hitter in that decisive 4th inning, and didn't figure into the decision, going 7 innings total in two starts against the Dodgers. He'll likely return Friday at home in game 3 of the World Series.

22 years after losing to the Yankees, the Braves return to the Fall Classic, giving Fox a fresh matchup between two teams who, until after the 1994-5 strike, were rivals in the NL West. The Dodgers' run of divisional titles doesn't quite mirror Atlanta's run from 1991-2005 between the NL West & East, not including the incomplete 1994 season, of course, but it might all come to an end if Dodger brass decides that Roberts, who's being second-third-&-fourth-guessed this morning in the wake of the misfired strategy, has worn out his welcome.

The Scherzer case is emblematic of the obsession baseball has today with analytics. Stat nerds have gradually taken over the game, taking away some of the fundamental strategies of yore. Defensive shifts have become too much in vogue to the point of annoyance. It helps explain why games have gotten slower and slower as MLB tries in vain to speed up the game. It might also explain why Bruce Bochy, after three World Series titles in San Francisco, retired after the 2019 season. I doubt he really was into all this analytics himself, as it might've been foisted on him by the new generation of baseball suits.

Digression over. Dave Roberts had a chance to use David Price in a key game, and opted against it. That decision cost Los Angeles the NL title, and nets Roberts the dreaded Dunce Cap for strategic incompetence.

As for the Series itself, it's been a while since Atlanta & Houston have crossed paths, outside of pre-season games in Florida. Braves manager Brian Snitker, I'll guess, will likely lead with Charlie Morton or Max Fried in game 1 on Tuesday, with the other going on Wednesday, and, as noted earlier, Anderson on Friday. For Houston manager Dusty Baker, who was on a few World Series teams as a Dodger in the 70's and 80's, it is the ultimate redemption, not just for Houston, still dogged by accusations of cheating, four years after a scandal tainted their World Series run, but for himself. 2021 represents the furthest he's ever gone as a manager in the post-season, and the stigma of first round failures in Cincinnati have finally faded away. The only question as of now is whether or not Lance McCullers, Jr., left off the ALCS roster vs. Boston, is ready to return to help Houston's rotation. They'll certainly need him.

Defensively, Atlanta has reached another level even with all-universe Ronald Acuna, Jr. gone for the season. Ex-Dodger Joc Peterson, who started the season in Chicago, has filled the void immensely. Austin "Bus" Riley has made a case for MVP on defense, now that he's settled in at 3rd base. Last year's league MVP, Freddie Freeman, has awakened his bat just in time. I'm waiting for someone at either Fox, MLB Network, or even pop-culture-savvy ESPN to call out "Shazam!" if Freeman goes deep in the series. Comics fans will get the reference. For the Astros, another title might be incentive enough to keep Carlos Correa from testing the free agent market, and staying with Houston. 

Prediction: Atlanta in 7. Of course, I could be wrong.