The Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves on Tuesday begin a three-game series in Truist Park that has potential playoff implications. This pair of first-place teams of course occupy different divisions, but there's still the matter of seeding to be sorted out.
First here are the essentials for this clash of National League titans. All games can be streamed on fubo (Try for free).
| Date | Start time | Starting pitchers | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
Tues., Aug 25 | 7:15 p.m. ET | RHP Tyler Glasnow (3-0, 2.72) vs. RHP Bryce Elder (8-7, 3.92) | SNLA, BravesVsn, TBS |
Wed., Aug 26 | 7:15 p.m. ET | RHP Rokie Sasaki (5-5, 4.42) vs. RHP AJ Smith-Shawver (0-0, 6.23) | SNLA, BravesVsn, MLBN |
Thurs., Aug 27 | 7:15 p.m. ET | RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-7, 2.61) vs. LHP Chris Sale (12-9, 2.20) | SNLA, BravesVsn, FS1 |
Now let's explore a few things to know about this clash of World Series hopefuls.
These two teams are dueling for a bye
Under the current MLB postseason format, the top two division winners in each league get to avoid the Wild Card Series and enjoy a bye straight to the Division Series. Absurd annual discourse notwithstanding, this is a major advantage and gives incentive for the best teams to remain in "foot on gas" mode down the stretch. Speaking of which, here are the current "bye" standings among the three NL division leaders going into Tuesday's slate of games:
- Brewers, 81-50, 0 GB
- Dodgers, 80-51, 0 GB
- Braves, 76-55, 4 GB
That's a sizable deficit for the Braves this time of year, and it's important for them to at least take two of three from the Dodgers if they want to remain within hailing distance of a bye as September approaches.
Of note is that Atlanta leads the season series against the Dodgers this season by a count of 2-1. That's notable because there are no more tiebreaker games in MLB to sort out anything that needs sorting out after 162 games, be it division titles, playoff berths, or seeding. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record, and if the Braves take at least two of three in this series, they'll hold the bye tiebreaker over the Dodgers. The second tiebreaker is each team's record within its respective division. If the Dodgers take two of three from the Braves at Truist, then that second tiebreaker will come into play. On that front, the Dodgers this season are 26-17 against NL West opponents, while the Braves in 2026 are 27-13 against their NL East division rivals.
Glasnow will be making his return
Straightaway, the most compelling pitching matchup will be that duel of aces in the series finale, Yamamoto versus Sale. Also notable, however, is that Glasnow in the series opener for the Dodgers will be making his first start in quite a long time.
Glasnow, 33, has been sidelined since early May with back spasms. For most of his career, he's fallen into the "excellent when healthy but not healthy all that often" bucket, which means his presence is a welcome one in the Dodger rotation. Glasnow looked dominant in his recent four-start rehab assignment, so he seems primed for a strong comeback. He also looked quite strong in seven starts before landing on the injured list earlier this season.
On the host side of things, the 23-year-old Smith-Shawver will be making just his third start in what's his comeback season from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent some 14 months ago. He's not far removed from being one of the top pitching prospects around.
The Braves have NL East concerns
Does Atlanta have bigger worries than catching the Dodgers and securing a bye? Perhaps. The Braves certainly haven't been bad lately, but an 11-10 mark in August has allowed the persistent Phillies, who are 16-6 for the current month, to make up some ground. Going into the week, the Braves hold a 3 ½-game lead over the Phillies in the NL East. However, the two clubs as noted are generally trending in opposite directions, and in early September they'll play seven head-to-headers in a span of 10 games. Right now, SportsLine gives the Braves an 81.1% chance of winning the division for the first time since 2023, but trouble in this series and in the upcoming pair of series against the Phillies could change things swiftly.
The Ohtani pitching update is a series subplot
Ohtani will be ready to roll as the Dodgers' DH in this series, and at some point during the clash against the Braves he and the Dodgers may know what his near-term pitching future looks like. Ohtani hasn't pitched since July 3 because of persistent knee inflammation. As well, his return to the mound has been complicated by a biceps issue. During that time, however, he has continued to serve as the Dodgers' regular designated hitter at the top of the lineup.
On Sunday, though, manager Dave Roberts provided an encouraging update on Ohtani and his prospects for rejoining the rotation. During the series against the Braves, Ohtani will throw another bullpen session. At that point, Roberts said, the club will decide whether Ohtani's next step is to face hitters or return to game action, perhaps later in the week. This won't be a Braves problem, but Ohtani's timeline will have bearing on the Dodgers' push for the bye.
Speaking of the push for the bye, L.A. comes into this one having won six games in a row. The Braves, meantime, have dropped three straight series.
