The Los Angeles Dodgers are sitting pretty, holding a four-game lead over the Atlanta Braves for that absolutely massive first-round playoff bye. But don’t think this three-game series, kicking off Tuesday at Truist Park, is just another slate of games. This isn’t just about winning or losing a few matchups; it’s about the entire National League seeding picture, and Atlanta is ready to make a move.
Atlanta Needs Two Wins to Keep the Bye Dream Alive
Look, getting that playoff bye is EVERYTHING. It means you skip the Wild Card Series, get to rest up, and head straight to the Division Series. Nobody wants to burn out their pitching staff or get into a grind right out of the gate. Right now, the bye standings in the NL are tight: the Brewers are 81-50, the Dodgers are 80-51, and then you’ve got the Braves trailing at 76-55. That four-game deficit for Atlanta is no joke this late in the season. For the Braves to stay within “hailing distance” of that bye as September looms, they absolutely have to take at least two of three from the Dodgers this week.
And here’s where it gets interesting: Atlanta actually leads the season series against Los Angeles 2-1 coming into this showdown. That’s a huge deal because MLB doesn’t do tiebreaker games anymore. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record. So, if the Braves snag two wins in this series, they’ll own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Dodgers. If the Dodgers take two of three, then the second tiebreaker comes into play: each team’s record within its own division. The Dodgers are 26-17 against NL West opponents, while the Braves are a solid 27-13 against their NL East rivals. Every single one of these games matters.
Pitching Matchups Bring the Heat, Including a Big Return
This series isn’t just high stakes in the standings; the pitching matchups are stacked, too. On Tuesday, the Dodgers are rolling out RHP Tyler Glasnow (3-0, 2.72) against the Braves’ RHP Bryce Elder (8-7, 3.92). Glasnow, 33, is making his first start in a long time, back on the mound after being sidelined since early May with back spasms. That’s a big return for the Dodgers.
Wednesday sees RHP Rokie Sasaki (5-5, 4.42) for Los Angeles taking on RHP AJ Smith-Shawver (0-0, 6.23) for Atlanta. Then, the series finale on Thursday is the one everyone’s talking about: a compelling duel between Dodgers’ RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-7, 2.61) and Braves’ LHP Chris Sale (12-9, 2.20). That’s a must-watch matchup between two aces.
This isn’t just another regular season series, folks. The Braves are fighting to keep their first-round bye dreams alive, and the Dodgers are trying to protect their crucial lead. Atlanta needs to come out swinging if they want to make up ground, and taking two of three would be an absolute statement. Get ready for some serious baseball.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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