The Braves come back home with little room for comfort and a lot of trouble waiting. After a skid, a matchup with the Brewers, and a day off spent traveling, they now draw the Dodgers. It’s not exactly the kind of landing spot you’d pick if you were trying to steady the ship.
That said, the Dodgers haven’t looked like some unstoppable machine lately. They’re a good team, but not an outrageous one.
They don’t own MLB’s best record, and they’ve gone 11-10 in August just like the Braves. In July, they were 13-11.
For about seven weeks now, they’ve been solid without being overwhelming. They also dropped six straight at one point, which briefly let the Braves move ahead of them for the second seed.
Now the Dodgers are on a six-game winning streak and have opened some separation. Atlanta can chip away at that gap here, but with the Braves’ offense stuck in neutral, this doesn’t feel like a moment that changes the whole picture.
Even so, the Dodgers still bring a deep, dangerous roster. Their position players rank second in fWAR, and their pitching staff ranks fourth, despite the team being unusually careful with workload.
Tyler Glasnow is set to start tonight, and it will be his first appearance since early May after a back injury. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani have been excellent on the mound, while the bullpen has gotten strong work from both expected names like Tanner Scott, who has bounced back sharply after a dreadful 2025, and less expected ones like Edgardo Henriquez.
At the plate, the names are familiar. Max Muncy has gotten past the 4 fWAR mark for the first time since 2021, and Andy Pages is out with injury, which is at least a small break for Atlanta.
The Dodgers may look a little more stars-and-scrubs-y than usual, but it’s still more like stars and guys who keep producing at a decent clip. That’s enough to make them a problem.
Atlanta will start Bryce Elder, who has put together a 94/111/99 line in ERA-/FIP-/xFIP-, with 1.1 fWAR over 137 2/3 innings across 24 starts. He’s been his familiar up-and-down self, and the home run issue has made it hard for him to put together a truly clean outing lately.
He hasn’t had a start with both FIP and xFIP under 4.00 since June 2, and since then he’s at 135/151/107. There isn’t a big surge in form to point to, though he did pitch fairly well against the Diamondbacks in his last start, posting a 36/99/87 line and helping the Braves salvage one game of that series.
Elder has already seen this Dodgers lineup once this season in Los Angeles and turned in one of his better outings, striking out eight while walking four over 5 2/3 innings. The Braves handed him a four-run lead early, and he and the bullpen held onto it the rest of the way.
In six career starts against Los Angeles, Elder has a 5.51 FIP and 4.43 xFIP. Whether that’s decent for him against this opponent or a disappointment is up for debate, but those numbers are probably going to move after tonight.
Glasnow’s return gives the Dodgers another high-end arm back in the mix. He’s been excellent when healthy, which hasn’t been often enough.
In seven starts this year, he posted a 66/75/69 line before landing on the Injured List. The season can really be split into three parts: four dominant starts in five outings to open the year, one outing where something was probably off as he issued six walks in 5 2/3 innings, and then the one-inning start that ended with injury.
He could be rusty. If he isn’t, the Braves’ offense may not find much relief.
In Other News...
Tyler Mahle Just Forced A Braves Decision They Didn't Expect
Tyler Mahle arrived in Atlanta at the trade deadline as rotation depth, the kind of move that usually blends into the background by October. Instead, his first 23.2 innings with the Braves have made him look like much more than a short-term insurance policy, with a 1.52 ERA, a 3.00 FIP, 23 strikeouts and just five walks. For a club that has spent the season trying to piece together pitching answers, that kind of performance changes the conversation fast.
Now the Braves have a decision they probably did not expect to be making. Keeping Mahle beyond this season would mean weighing what he has shown in a small sample against the realities of the upcoming offseason and the uncertainty that comes with collective bargaining agreement talks ahead. For a front office that added him to stabilize the present, his early work has opened the door to a much more complicated question about the future. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Bullpen Gets One Encouraging Sign Fans Needed Right Now
The Braves have spent much of the season waiting for their pitching depth to sort itself out, and Robert Suarez offered a small but meaningful step in that direction. He has progressed in his throwing program, is out to 100 feet now and could move into bullpen sessions soon, with a rehab assignment expected to follow if all goes well.
For a staff that still has several uncertain arms in the mix, any forward movement matters. Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Strider are all continuing their throwing programs, while Joe Jimenez has been working through bullpen sessions after knee surgeries even though a return this season looks unlikely. The picture remains unsettled, but Suarezs progress gives Atlanta at least one encouraging sign to track as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Are Spending Big And Getting A Worrying Return
The Braves have not exactly tiptoed into this era of contention. Over the past two offseasons, they have leaned into free agency with real money, expecting that a few calculated additions would deepen a roster built to win now. Instead, the return has been uneven at best, with key signings such as Jurickson Profar and Ha-Seong Kim among the names that have not delivered the kind of impact Atlanta was buying.
Altogether, the club has committed about $148.25 million to free agents who have produced far less value than projected, a gap that becomes even more noticeable when the team is already in position to chase another postseason run. The Braves also stood relatively quiet at the trade deadline despite their strong record, leaving the front office under a familiar microscope as the season moves into its stretch run. [Read more 🡒]