The Braves vs Dodgers National League Division Series opens Saturday at 4 p.m. EDT at Dodger Stadium, with Tarik Skubal starting Game 1 for Los Angeles. The best-of-five series airs on FOX, according to FOX Sports.
The Dodgers went 100-62 and are chasing a third straight World Series title. The Braves finished 94-68 and advanced by beating Philadelphia 6-2 in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series on Thursday, their first playoff series win since 2021.
Braves vs Dodgers history favors Atlanta
Atlanta won five of six regular-season meetings and outscored Los Angeles 26-15. The Dodgers took the first game 3-1 on May 8. The Braves then won 7-2 twice and swept the Aug. 25-27 series at Truist Park with a 4-3 win, a 6-5 walk-off and a 1-0 victory.
Chris Sale threw a complete-game shutout in that 1-0 game, according to DodgerBlue.
Skubal takes the ball for Los Angeles
Skubal, a two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, joined the Dodgers in a blockbuster move from Detroit. He learned of his Game 1 assignment during his final regular-season start against San Francisco, when he pitched seven shutout innings, Dodgers Beat reported.
The Dodgers have named Blake Snell as their Game 2 starter, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto expected in Game 3, according to Sports Illustrated.
Braves pitching plans in flux
Sale recorded the final four outs of the clincher in relief, so Atlanta has not lined him up for Game 1. Manager Walt Weiss said the team would “err on the side of giving him” extra rest if the decision is close.
Tyler Mahle, who strained an abdominal muscle in warmups before Game 2 against Philadelphia, said he felt good Thursday. Read how the Braves got here in our Braves-Phillies Game 3 coverage.
What to watch
Atlanta posted a 91 wRC+ against left-handed pitching this season, 24th in MLB, according to Dodgers Beat. That gives the Dodgers a reason to lean on lefties Skubal and Snell early.
Game 2 is Sunday at Dodger Stadium. The Braves won the last postseason meeting, the 2021 NLCS, on the way to a World Series title.
