The best-of-five NLDS between the Atlanta Braves and Dodgers will be packed with star power, and if Atlanta wants to dethrone the reigning champions, they know how imperative it is to win Game One. Starting on the road in L.A. will not be an easy task, nor will facing one of the best pitchers in baseball, Tarik Skubal. The game plan for Atlanta is not yet announced, but don't be surprised if AJ Smith-Shawver or JR Ritchie get a chance to play hero.
No matter who the Braves turn to, any pitching matchup without Chris Sale on the mound will undoubtedly favor the Dodgers. The key for Atlanta is for the offense to show up the same way they did in Game Three of the Wild Card series. The Braves offense has a decent track record against Tarik Skubal, dating back to his days in Detroit. As we saw on Thursday, an early lead can really help an unproven pitcher attack the zone with confidence.
The Braves saw two stellar left-handed pitchers in the Phillies series, squaring off against Jesus Luzardo and Cristopher Sanchez. Getting good performances from right-handed batters like Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley, and Ozzie Albies will be paramount. The encouraging news surrounding Lane Thomas (who has playoff success against Skubal) is something to monitor, as his potential addition to the NLDS roster could prove pivotal.
Walt Weiss said Lane Thomas is a possibility for this Division Series against the Dodgers. Bryce Elder and Martin Perez won’t be on the roster. Both could be ready if the Braves advance to the NLCS.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) October 2, 2026
If the Braves can steal Game One against the Dodgers, things set up very well for them for the rest of the series
Atlanta being an underdog in Game One makes sense, but the odds won't be as drastic in Game Two. Despite some gamesmanship from Walt Weiss, it's fairly reasonable to expect Chris Sale on the mound for Game Two. The Dodgers will counter with one of their aces, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Because the Dodgers have a much deeper rotation than Atlanta, the series probably favors them the longer it goes on.
With that said, the pressure on the champs ratchets up severely if Atlanta finds a way to win Game One. And you can bet Weiss will get aggressive with his talented bullpen if his club has a series lead at any point.
That's why it's important to get off to a solid start in the city of angels. At the very least, you have to come back to Truist with a split through the first two games. The rest versus rust debate is something that gets discussed every year in the divisional series. Atlanta was on the wrong side of that in 2022 and 2023. Now it's time to come out swinging and make the Dodgers subject to those conversations. The pitching matchup will be as lopsided as they come, but we saw Bryse Wilson outpitch Clayton Kershaw in the postseason back in the 2020 NLCS; who's to say something similar can't happen again.
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