LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers claimed an important Game 1 victory in the National League Division Series with Thursday night's 6-0 win over the Braves at Dodger Stadium. They will now hand the ball to Clayton Kershaw with the hopes the three-time NL Cy Young Award winner can push them toward a third straight trip to the NL Championship Series.
A young and inexperienced Braves club was silenced by Hyun-Jin Ryu, who tossed seven scoreless innings in the opener of this best-of-five series. But that doesn't necessarily mean doom against the Dodgers' ace -- Atlanta went 11-5 in games started by Max Scherzer, Aaron Nola and Jacob deGrom this year.
But as the Braves attempt to conquer another of the game's top pitchers in Game 2, they have to hope veteran right-hander Anibal Sanchez can handle a powerful Dodgers club that has tallied 16 homers in eight games against the Braves this season.
:: NLDS schedule and results ::
Here are answers to some of the questions surrounding Game 2:
What might the starting lineups look like?
Braves: Left-handed hitters didn't fare well against Ryu's changeup in Game 1, but that pitch has never been a primary part of Kershaw's arsenal.:
1. Ronald Acuna Jr., LF
2. Johan Camargo, 3B
3. Freddie Freeman, 1B
4. Nick Markakis, RF
5. Kurt Suzuki, C
6. Ozzie Albies, 2B
7. Ender Inciarte, CF
8. Charlie Culberson, SS
9. Anibal Sanchez, P
Dodgers: Same players but a few tweaks.
1. Joc Pederson, LF
2. Justin Turner, 3B
3. Player Page for Max Muncy, 1B
4. Manny Machado, SS
5. Yasiel Puig, RF
6. Cody Bellinger, CF
7. Enrique Hernandez, 2B
8. Yasmani Grandal, C
9. Clayton Kershaw, LHP
Who are the starting pitchers?
Braves: Sanchez (7-6, 2.83 ERA) wouldn't have signed a Minor League deal in late March had Luiz Gohara not sprained his ankle. As Gohara remained in the Minors most of the year, Sanchez earned this right to be Atlanta's Game 2 starter. He has a 2.95 ERA in six postseason starts, but the most recent was made in 2013.

A playoff matchup against the homer-happy Dodgers would have seemed ridiculous last year when Sanchez surrendered 2.22 home runs per nine innings. But he slashed that ratio to 0.99 this year. His success has been aided by the comfort he has with his cutter. The Dodgers ranked 28th in the Majors this year with a .205 batting average against cutters.
• Anibal looking to slow LA with wicked cutter
Dodgers: After being passed over for Game 1, Kershaw (9-5, 2.73 ERA) gets the ball with a chance to put his club on the path for a series sweep. He is 7-7 with a 4.35 ERA in the postseason, but he also has a .216 opponents batting average.
• Folty ready for redemption after brief G1 start
How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Braves: With Mike Foltynewicz lasting just two innings in Game 1, Sean Newcomb, Chad Sobotka and Max Fried came out of the bullpen to make their postseason debuts. Closer Arodys Vizcaino, A.J. Minter and Touki Toussaint were the only relievers not used on Thursday.
Dodgers: Closer Kenley Jansen, Scott Alexander and Kenta Maeda warmed up, but none entered the game, so the back end of the 'pen should be at full strength.
Are there any relievers who are unavailable?
Braves: Newcomb, who threw 25 pitches over two innings on Thursday, might be the only reliever not available. He was a candidate to start Game 4, but the Braves may give that assignment to Foltynewicz if they win at least one of the next two games.
Dodgers: Possibly rookie Caleb Ferguson, who struck out two in one inning of work.

Any injuries of note?
Braves:Dansby Swanson will miss the series with a torn ligament in his left hand.
Dodgers: None.
Who is hot and who is not?
Braves: Freeman has recorded a hit in each of his six career postseason games. He is 6-for-25 with a homer and 11 strikeouts in his career (including the postseason) against Kershaw.
• Dodgers set tone with Game 1 power, patience
Dodgers: Muncy has homered in his last three games, and he logged a triple and a double in the game before that.

Anything else fans might want to know?
Although the Dodgers had three homers and eight walks, they had only five hits in Game 1 and are batting .185 -- going 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position in the NLDS opener.
The Braves have gone 10-24 since last winning a postseason series (2001 NLDS). When they last advanced to the NLCS, Acuna was still three months shy of his fourth birthday.