Blake Snell gave the Dodgers 3 2/3 innings and allowed one run, but Los Angeles could not turn its rotation edge into a second straight victory Sunday night. Atlanta’s bullpen-heavy plan held up at Dodger Stadium, sending the Braves to a 3-2 Game 2 win and leveling the National League Division Series before the clubs head east.
The result
The Dodgers entered the opening two games with an apparent advantage on the mound, lining up two pitchers with two Cy Young Awards apiece while Atlanta was forced into consecutive bullpen games. That edge looked less meaningful by the end of Game 2.
Snell’s outing was uneven from the start. He limited Atlanta to one run, but his night ended before the fourth inning was complete, leaving the Dodgers to cover a long stretch with their bullpen. The Braves, meanwhile, built their pitching plan around their highest-leverage relievers and got the work they needed in a tight game.
Los Angeles had opened the series behind Tarik Skubal in Game 1, but it could not follow that performance with another win. The Dodgers were hurt by missed execution at important moments, and those mistakes proved costly in a one-run loss.
The split changes the tone of the best-of-five series. Teams that lose Game 1 but answer with a Game 2 victory have gone on to take 34 of 67 postseason series, a 51 percent rate. In Division Series played under the current 2-2-1 format, clubs that split the first two games on the road and return home for Games 3 and 4 have won 30 of 49 series, or 61 percent.
For the Dodgers, the lesson from the first two nights is straightforward: the pitching staff can keep games close, but the club cannot expect its arms to erase every offensive or defensive lapse. That will be especially true if Los Angeles is to chase what would be the fifth World Series three-peat in history.
The rotation next
The series moves to Truist Park for Game 3 on Tuesday, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto scheduled for the Dodgers and Chris Sale set to start for Atlanta. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. ET, 3 p.m. PT, with FS1, FOX Deportes and FOX One carrying the game.
It is the ace matchup the series was waiting for, and after Sunday’s narrow loss, the Dodgers will need Yamamoto to provide both innings and calm as the NLDS reaches Atlanta tied at one game apiece.
