The National League Division Series arrives in Atlanta with the Dodgers and Braves even at one game apiece, and the next turn of the rotation gives Game 3 the feel of a heavyweight bout. Atlanta’s 3-2 win at Dodger Stadium in Game 2 did more than level the series: it moved home-field advantage to Truist Park and reduced the rest of the matchup to a three-game sprint.
First pitch is scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET, 3 p.m. PT, with FS1, FOX Deportes and FOX One carrying the game. The stakes are familiar to every October clubhouse. In best-of-five postseason series that were tied after two games, the club taking Game 3 has ultimately won 48 of 67 times, a 71.6 percent clip.
“We know it’s two good teams going at it,” Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “We know what’s at stake on Tuesday. We need to get that win.”
Sale and Yamamoto take the ball
Atlanta will hand the ball to left-hander Chris Sale, whose closing stretch to the regular season was as sharp as anyone’s: a 1.96 ERA over his final 24 starts and a 2.16 ERA for the year, third-best in the majors. Sale, 37, opened this postseason by allowing three runs in 6 1/3 innings against Philadelphia in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series. He was held back from Game 2 of this round after recording the final four outs of Atlanta’s Wild Card Series clincher.
His most recent meeting with Los Angeles came on Aug. 27, when Sale threw a five-hit shutout. The Braves won that afternoon, 1-0, over Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings and still came away second-best in the pitching duel.
Yamamoto now gets his first postseason start of 2026 for a Dodgers club looking to reclaim the edge. The reigning World Series MVP posted a 0.87 WHIP during the regular season, second among qualified major league starters. Los Angeles opted to begin the Division Series with Tarik Skubal and Blake Snell, keeping Yamamoto aligned for this point in the series and the rounds that could follow.
Sale’s history against the Dodgers also includes a memorable October appearance. In the 2018 World Series, then with Boston, he entered from the bullpen and worked a perfect ninth inning to finish the championship. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, meanwhile, enters Tuesday one postseason victory away from 71, which would match Tony La Russa for second place on the all-time managerial list. Joe Torre stands first with 84.
The Braves should welcome the return of a right-handed starter after seeing lefties in four of their first five postseason games. Drake Baldwin supplied Atlanta’s only run against Yamamoto in August with a leadoff homer, while Matt Olson and Michael Harris II also figure to benefit from the matchup. The only right-hander Atlanta saw during the Wild Card round, Aaron Nola, lasted just 1 2/3 innings in Game 3.
A likely Atlanta alignment has Baldwin at designated hitter ahead of Ronald Acuña Jr., Olson, Harris, Ozzie Albies, Mauricio Dubón, Mike Yastrzemski, Austin Riley and catcher Sean Murphy. Harris has carried a hot bat into the Division Series, collecting two three-hit games in five postseason contests and going 8-for-20 overall. Atlanta would like more from Acuña, who is 3-for-18 without an extra-base hit, and Olson, who is 3-for-19 with seven strikeouts.
Los Angeles is expected to load its lineup with right-handed bats against Sale. Mookie Betts could lead off at shortstop, followed by Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith, Freeman, Teoscar Hernández, Kyle Tucker, Andy Pages, Miguel Rojas and Kiké Hernández. Rojas started at third base against a left-handed opener in Game 2, and the Dodgers could instead use Hernández at third Tuesday while shifting Rojas to second.
Freeman has looked much more like himself after a difficult September, opening the series 3-for-7 with a home run. Pages is still seeking his first postseason hit at 0-for-7, while Tommy Edman is 0-for-5.
Relief picture after an off-day
The off-day gives Atlanta a cleaner late-inning board. Closer Raisel Iglesias and primary setup options Robert Suarez and Dylan Lee are all expected to be ready behind Sale. Didier Fuentes and Ray Kerr will not be available after each surpassed 40 pitches on Sunday.
The Dodgers needed their bullpen for the final 5 1/3 innings of Game 2 after Snell’s unsteady start, but the break should restore nearly the entire group. Roki Sasaki is the notable question after throwing two innings and 36 pitches Sunday.
Atlanta remains without Bryce Elder, who is recovering from right knee surgery, and left-hander Martín Pérez, sidelined by lower back discomfort. Both could return if the Braves reach the National League Championship Series. For Los Angeles, Ohtani is managing right biceps and left knee issues, while Freeman continues to deal with a right knee concern. Will Klein, slowed by right elbow discomfort, has faced hitters but has not appeared in a game since July 31 and is viewed as depth. Blake Treinen, sidelined by right shoulder inflammation, is not expected to pitch again this postseason.
The series has already shown how narrow the margin can be between these clubs. Now it moves to Truist Park with two aces on the mound, a rested set of late-inning arms and a Game 3 that could decide the direction of October for both dugouts.
