This series in Atlanta isn’t just another game for the Dodgers, it’s a bare-knuckle brawl for one of those top two NL spots, the ones that come with a crucial first-round bye. Right now, the Dodgers are just one game behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the win column. You know the Mets did them a solid by handing the Brewers a loss in extras, too. Atlanta is lurking three games back of L.A. with 77 wins, so every single pitch in this matchup matters big time.
Sasaki’s Streak Meets a Rookie Arm
Roki Sasaki is taking the hill for the Dodgers, and man, he’s been locked in! He hasn’t snagged a win in his last three outings, sure, but the dude has been rock solid, only letting up two runs in each of those games. One of those gems was even in Denver, which ain’t easy. The Braves, before last night’s game, were only averaging 1.3 earned runs against righties in their last ten starts against them. Glasnow cooled them off after giving up three early, striking out seven, so you gotta believe Sasaki can rack up some K’s himself. Across the diamond, the Braves are rolling out AJ Smith-Shawver, a young righty who’s barely seen the mound this season. He’s only appeared in two games after spending 14 months rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. That’s a brutal comeback trail, and he’s now part of their six-man rotation, trying to save some arms for the playoffs. In those two games, he went 4.1 innings both times, giving up two earned runs in his first outing and four in the second. He’s only got seven strikeouts across 8.2 innings, which is not exactly lighting the world on fire.
Dodgers Offense Ready to Explode?
This is where the Dodgers gotta pounce. Smith-Shawver leans heavily on a curveball that absolutely loves breaking right into lefty barrels, and he’s missing a reliable fading changeup that could keep those left-handers off balance. That’s a massive hole the Dodgers can exploit. They could stack up to seven lefties against him, which is just wild. The bottom of the lineup came up huge with three runs in Tuesday night’s game, but the top of the order absolutely needs to join the party if the Dodgers want to truly unleash their offense. They did little to make the Braves bullpen work yesterday, so all those arms should be fresh. The Dodgers have a real shot to break this game open early and get into that bullpen. It might not even matter how much that bullpen gets used because Chris Sale is looming on Thursday.
It’s all going down at Truist Park in Atlanta today, Wednesday, August 26, 2026. First pitch is 4:15 p.m. PT. You can catch it on SportsNet LA or MLB Network if you’re out of market. This isn’t just another W or L. This is about taking a big step towards that sweet, sweet first-round bye. Let’s see if Sasaki keeps dealing and the bats come alive!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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