Dodgers Advance to NLCS After Narrow Victory Over Braves

There’s a well-known saying in baseball: pitching wins games in the playoffs. It turns out, maybe that’s true after all.

The opening three games of the National League Division Series (NLDS) between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves provided a clear display of the pitching prowess of both squads. In the first game, Tarik Skubal pitched brilliantly for the Dodgers, although the Atlanta bullpen kept pace. L.A. eventually took control, winning 5-3, but it’s worth noting they struggled to capitalize with runners in scoring position.

Then, game two escalated the competition. The Braves managed to scrape together three runs against a less-than-stable Blake Snell and a team of Dodgers relievers, while Atlanta’s pitchers—specifically Ray Kerr and Didier Fuentes—restricted L.A. to just two runs. This shifted the momentum somewhat in favor of the Braves, who had Chris Sale set to start game three at home.

Dodgers Steal Game Three

In that third game, Kike Hernandez and Freddie Freeman both homered off Sale in the fourth inning, but yet again, the Dodgers had difficulties against the Braves’ relief pitching. Closer Edwin Diaz was brought in for a shaky ninth inning but managed to close out the game after a lead-off double, sealing another low-scoring affair with a final score of 3-1. Over three games, there were only 17 combined runs scored.

And game four? It followed the same pattern.

Tyler Glasnow pitched for L.A., coming off a season marred by injuries, while Atlanta countered with Tyler Mahle, who surprisingly had the lowest ERA among starters traded at the recent deadline—better even than Skubal’s. Yet, once again, despite the talent on both sides, scoring was elusive.

Atlanta opened the game with a 1-0 lead, primarily thanks to Michael Harris II’s speed. He was able to reach base, steal second, advance to third on a groundout, and eventually score on a wild pitch that left Dodgers catcher Will Smith scrambling.

The Dodgers equalized under somewhat unexpected circumstances as well. In the second inning, Shohei Ohtani kicked things off with a walk, stole second, and advanced to third on an errant throw. Then, Max Muncy’s pop-up fell when Mauricio Dubon failed to make the catch, allowing Ohtani to score and tie the game at one.

For a long stretch, the score remained tied.

Glasnow was effectively wild, walking five batters through 4 2/3 innings, which kept Atlanta from exploiting any scoring opportunities. Although Ozzie Albies led off the sixth inning with a double, the Dodgers pitchers—specifically Alex Vesia and Edgardo Henriquez—stopped any serious threats.

Finally, in the seventh inning, the Dodgers broke through against the Braves’ bullpen. Fuentes, who had been nearly unhittable in game two, struggled with his command. After a single from Teoscar Hernandez, rookie pinch hitter Josue De Paula walked, and Kyle Tucker followed suit. Braves manager Walt Weiss turned to veteran Robert Suarez to face Andy Pages. But after falling behind in the count, Pages managed to hit a single that drove in two runs.

Henriquez followed up with a scoreless seventh inning, handling Ronald Acuna Jr. after Harris doubled. Tanner Scott then took charge in the eighth, silencing the heart of the Braves lineup.

Max Muncy added some breathing room with a homer in the ninth, extending the score to 4-1.

Roberts kept faith in Edwin Diaz to close the game, even though he had endured a rough regular season. This time, Diaz pitched a clean ninth, striking out Rowdy Tellez and getting Dubon and Austin Riley to fly out, solidifying the win.

Despite the big names in L.A.’s lineup, it was players like Kike Hernandez, Andy Pages, and Max Muncy who stepped up for the Dodgers. The team managed only one hit with runners in scoring position throughout the series but supported their pitchers just enough.

Now, the Dodgers march into their third consecutive NLCS after clinching titles in both 2024 and 2025. They’ll be facing the winner of the Milwaukee Brewers-San Diego Padres series. Notably, the Brewers currently lead that matchup 2-1, setting the stage for a clash of the two teams that topped 100 wins in the regular season.

As for the Braves, this adds to their disappointing postseason exits since their championship in 2021. Their lineup couldn’t muster enough offense, accumulating just 18 hits in 124 at-bats, translating to a .145 batting average—which, frankly, just won’t cut it in October baseball. They managed to score eight runs over four games but never found that crucial hit that could have changed the tide against Yamamoto or Glasnow.

So, yes, perhaps there’s a reason those clichés about pitching hold true.