Braves change script, announce left-hander Newcomb in Game 3

Facing a must-win situation, the Atlanta Braves changed course Saturday and announced that left-hander Sean Newcomb will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Sunday.

Facing a must-win situation, the Atlanta Braves changed course Saturday and announced that left-hander Sean Newcomb will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Sunday.

Newcomb came within one strike of no-hitting the Dodgers earlier this season.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Friday that right-hander Kevin Gausman would start Game 3. Instead, the 25-year-old Newcomb will be asked to save the team's season.

"You know, the situation is kind of dire right now," Snitker said at Saturday's press conference. "We need to win. And not that Gausman doesn't give us that opportunity. We like how Newcomb matches up with them and the success that he's had against the Dodgers this year.

"So we're going to let Newcomb get the thing off the ground. And I talked to Kevin, and he was like, whatever we gotta do. And I talked to Newcomb, and Newcomb was actually really excited. He felt good about it. And I told him that we need you to get this thing off the ground. You don't need to take a no-hitter into the ninth inning with a strike left or whatever. We just want to get this thing flying and be all hands on deck."

Newcomb's near no-hitter against the Dodgers came on July 29 and was broken up when Chris Taylor delivered a single to left field on a 2-2 pitch.

That came on Newcomb's season-high 134th pitch of the contest. He struck out eight and walked one in 8 2/3 innings in the 4-1 victory.

Newcomb pitched two innings of scoreless relief against Los Angeles in Game 1 and is highly aware of the situation entering Sunday's outing.

"We've been in spots where we had to win some games and had our backs against the wall," Newcomb said in his press conference. "But I think we just got to take it one game at a time like anyone would say and just really approach it like that because we can win one game at a time."

Newcomb, who went 12-9 with a 3.90 ERA during the regular season, will face Dodgers rookie Walker Buehler.

Buehler was 8-5 with a 2.62 ERA in the regular season and capped it with 6 2/3 innings of one-hit scoreless ball in Monday's NL West tiebreaker victory over the Colorado Rockies.

(With inputs from agencies.)