Tuesday brings the National League Division Series to two very different pressure points: Atlanta returns home even with Los Angeles and hands the ball to a fully rested Chris Sale, while Milwaukee carries a 2-0 lead to San Diego after Jackson Chourio delivered the kind of October hit that can live in a franchise forever.
The result
The Braves split the opening two games in Los Angeles, taking home-field advantage away from a Dodgers club that has already matched its total National League postseason losses from last year. Atlanta’s bullpen, led by Ray Kerr, carried Game 2, allowing manager Walt Weiss to reach this moment with Sale on six days of rest.
That choice was not without risk. Sale had not made a start on four days’ rest in months, and he had worked 1 1/3 innings to finish Atlanta’s Wild Card Series against Philadelphia on Oct. 1. Had the relief plan failed in Game 2, Weiss would have faced a long night of questions. Instead, the Braves are back in their own park with the 2024 NL Cy Young Award winner lined up for a pivotal start.
Sale’s postseason history has been rough, with a 5.83 career ERA, but this is the fresh, carefully managed outing Atlanta wanted. A strong night from Sale would validate Weiss’ handling of the rotation and put the Braves one win from another trip to the NLCS.
Milwaukee’s situation is even more commanding, though it took a dramatic Game 2 finish to get there. The Brewers beat San Diego on Chourio’s walk-off two-run single against All-Star closer Mason Miller, moving within one victory of the franchise’s fourth NLCS appearance and its second in three seasons.
The Padres had plenty working in their favor before that final swing. Milwaukee committed several unusual errors, while Michael King, Yuki Matsui and Bradgley Rodriguez held the Brewers in check. Miller, rested after not appearing in Game 1, was asked to cover two innings for the first time this season.
His velocity remained electric deep into the outing. Pitch No. 38 was a 103.5 mph fastball to Chourio. But the 40th and last pitch arrived at 101.3 mph and caught too much plate. Chourio drove it for the deciding hit, turning San Diego from one strike away from heading home with the series even into a club facing elimination.
The rotation next
| Game | Time | Starting pitchers | Television |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dodgers at Braves, NLDS Game 3 | Tuesday, 6 p.m. ET | Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers, vs. Chris Sale, Braves | FS1, FOX Deportes, FOX One |
| Brewers at Padres, NLDS Game 3 | Tuesday, 9:30 p.m. ET | Dustin May, Brewers, vs. Nick Pivetta, Padres | FS1, FOX Deportes, FOX One |
Sale gets the stage Atlanta saved for him
Sale will have to outduel Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the reigning World Series MVP, in the first Game 3. The matchup gives Atlanta its ace at full strength after the bullpen did the work in Game 2, and it asks the Dodgers to break through against a left-hander capable of taking over an evening.
Los Angeles could use a defining contribution from Shohei Ohtani. His recent postseason line has been unusually quiet: across the final four games of the 2025 World Series and the first two games of this NLDS, he is 5-for-23 with one extra-base hit, a double, three walks and a .569 OPS.
That is a sharp contrast from last October. In Game 4 of the NLCS against Milwaukee, Ohtani struck out 10 hitters and hit three home runs. Ten days later, in an 18-inning World Series Game 3, he homered twice and reached base nine times.
This season has been more demanding for Ohtani. He last pitched July 3, dealt with injuries during the second half and posted a .772 OPS after the break. Even so, he remains a likely runner-up in the National League MVP race, and the Dodgers know one Ohtani swing can change the shape of a series.
Chourio keeps adding to Milwaukee’s October file
Chourio’s Game 2 hit was another marker in a remarkably fast rise. He reached the majors on March 29, 2024, only 18 days after turning 20. He arrived with a Brewers organization that had won just two postseason series over the preceding 41 years, had reached the World Series only once and had recorded 90 victories only nine times in 55 seasons.
Milwaukee has now won at least 90 games in each of Chourio’s three seasons. The club’s most successful stretch has gained another gear with him in the lineup.
Through his age-22 season, Chourio has accumulated more FanGraphs WAR than Barry Bonds or Robin Yount had at the same age. His five career postseason homers already lead Brewers history, and he stands one RBI behind Ryan Braun’s franchise postseason record of 16.
The walk-off against Miller may become one of the defining snapshots of this Milwaukee era, but Chourio has another chance Tuesday to extend it.
San Diego turns to Pivetta
The Padres looked formidable while sweeping the Cubs in two games in the Wild Card Series, which makes their 2-0 deficit all the more jarring. They have shown they can absorb difficult turns, and Nick Pivetta gives them a steady hand for an elimination game.
Since returning from the injured list on Sept. 7, Pivetta has posted a 1.64 ERA. San Diego needs that form now, with Dustin May opposing him and the Brewers one win from finishing the sweep.
Game 2 was a gut punch, but the Padres have already shown resilience this postseason. Their task is simple enough, even if the margin is gone: win at home, extend the series, and make Milwaukee earn the final out another night.
