The Dodgers left Atlanta with more than a sweep on the scoreboard. They also left with a reminder that the Braves have been a problem all season, and with Dave Roberts openly saying he’d welcome another crack at them in October.
Los Angeles had chances in all three games, but the big hit never showed up and the big out never came when it was needed. Atlanta stole the first two games late, with closer Tanner Scott taking the hit in both of those finishes. Then in the finale, Chris Sale took over completely, working a complete-game shutout and allowing only five hits.
Roberts wasn’t interested in treating the series like a dead end. He framed it as a test the Dodgers would be ready to take on again.
“It seemed like we were always chasing,” Roberts said. “It’s hard to play from behind.
Your margins are much thinner, smaller. And when you don’t capitalize on opportunities, then you come up on the short end.
But like I said, they’re a good ballclub. They do things the right way.
And we’ll look forward to seeing them in October.”
That’s not just talk, either. Atlanta has now taken five of six from Los Angeles this season, and the sweep also gave the Braves the tiebreaker over the Dodgers in the standings. With the race for the top two spots in the NL so tight, that matters.
The bigger concern for Los Angeles is that this wasn’t an isolated bad stretch. The Dodgers also dropped three of four to the Milwaukee Brewers recently, and the pattern against top teams has become hard to ignore. Since late July, they’re 1-12 against clubs currently in a playoff position, and the team has been swept more than once in that span.
There are signs the pitching is starting to come back together, but Thursday’s loss was another nudge in the same direction: the offense has to carry more of the load. The series against the Detroit Tigers only reinforced that point.
The recent run from the rotation has been strong. Over the last three games, Blake Snell threw five innings and allowed one earned run with 10 strikeouts, Tarik Skubal went six innings and gave up one earned run with seven strikeouts, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered 6.1 innings, one earned run, and eight strikeouts. Even with that kind of work, the Dodgers still lost two of those games.
Help is on the way. All-Star catcher Will Smith is expected back soon, which should ease some of the strain on the lineup. But it won’t fix everything on its own.
And now the Dodgers are also dealing with the loss of Andy Pages for the next few weeks, a blow that thins the offense even more. If the bats don’t wake up, the team may have to reach into the minors for a prospect.
In Other News...
Braves Prospects Are Starting To Force A Bigger Conversation
The Braves farm system has spent the week giving the organization plenty to think about, with Rome right-hander Daniel Brooks turning in another dominant outing and outfield speedster Eric Hartman pushing past the 50-steal mark. Those are the kinds of developments that matter in a system built on finding the next wave of impact talent, especially when there are also steady contributions coming from names like Brett Wisely and Luis Vargas across several different games.
Brooks work on the mound and Hartmans running game are two very different ways of standing out, but both have helped put a brighter spotlight on a minor league pipeline that has been more than just background noise lately. Add in the broader wave of offensive and pitching contributions across the affiliates, and the Braves are left with a familiar but welcome problem: too many prospects are making it harder to ignore what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Rotation Just Got A Much Darker Spencer Schwellenbach Question
Spencer Schwellenbachs season-long elbow saga has taken another turn, and this one points toward a more serious reset than the Braves had wanted. After dealing with a fracture in June 2025, he is now expected to undergo surgery on his right elbow, with the operation set to insert a screw to help stabilize the joint.
For Atlanta, the bigger concern is not just the procedure itself but what comes after it. The club had hoped to avoid this step, and neither the surgery date nor a recovery timetable has been announced, leaving his long-term outlook murky. There is now real uncertainty about whether Schwellenbach will be able to get back on the mound in 2027. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Prospect Is Forcing His Way Into The Center Field Picture
Patrick Clohisy has spent the past two seasons making himself harder to ignore. The 24-year-old climbed the Braves minor league ladder by pairing a real uptick at the plate with the kind of speed that changes games, first leading the system in stolen bases and doubles before earning a July promotion to Triple-A Gwinnett. Once he got there, he kept producing, hitting for a high average while continuing to show the elite sprint speed that made him stand out in the lower levels.
For Atlanta, the interesting part is where that profile fits. Clohisys range has helped him cover ground in the outfield, and he is projected to spend most of his time in center field, a spot where speed and instincts can matter as much as raw power. He is not just a burner anymore, either, which is why his case keeps getting stronger as he moves closer to the majors and forces the organization to think more seriously about the center field picture. [Read more 🡒]