The Dodgers head to Atlanta with plenty on the line, and they’re bringing a rotation that gets more interesting by the day.
Los Angeles arrives after back-to-back sweeps of the Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates, riding a six-game winning streak into a three-game set with the Braves. The Dodgers sit at 80-51, four games ahead of Atlanta’s 76-55 mark in the race for the No. 2 seed in the National League. That matters because the No. 3 team gets pushed into a best-of-three wild-card series to open the postseason.
There’s more at stake, too. The Dodgers are only one game behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. But because they lost the season series to Milwaukee, they need to gain two games to claim the top spot.
Atlanta comes in after losing a series to the Brewers, though the Braves did avoid the sweep with a win on Sunday. The two clubs already met from May 8-10, when the Braves took two of three.
Tuesday’s opener brings the headline everyone has been waiting for: Tyler Glasnow is back. He’ll start against Bryce Elder in the first game of the series.
Glasnow hasn’t pitched since leaving his May 6 start against the Houston Astros after one inning, sidelined by back spasms and then slowed by multiple setbacks while trying to return.
“It just went with that [warm-up] pitch,” Glasnow said to The Athletic of his back. “And I think I just tried to come back too early a few times, and it just prolonged everything.”
Before the injury, Glasnow was 3-0 with a 2.72 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 39.2 innings. He also completed four rehab starts, giving up two runs in 13.2 innings while striking out 20.
Elder gets the ball for Atlanta after a solid season to this point. He is 8-7 with a 3.92 ERA over 24 starts and 137.2 innings, and he already handled the Dodgers once this year. On May 10, he worked 5.2 scoreless innings, allowed one hit and four walks, and struck out eight.
Wednesday’s game sets up Roki Sasaki against AJ Smith-Shawver. Sasaki has gone 5-5 with a 4.42 ERA over 116 innings this season, but he’s been sharp since the break. In five starts after the All-Star break, he’s 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA across 35 innings.
Smith-Shawver has made only two starts this season, giving up six runs in 8.2 innings for a 6.23 ERA. He had Tommy John surgery last June.
Then Thursday delivers the marquee matchup: Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. Chris Sale.
Yamamoto has been one of the Dodgers’ most reliable arms, going 12-7 with a 2.61 ERA and 145 strikeouts against 35 walks in 151.2 innings. Sale has been just as sharp for Atlanta, posting a 12-9 record with a 2.20 ERA, 166 strikeouts and 28 walks in 135 innings.
Yamamoto has not faced the Braves this season. Sale already saw the Dodgers on May 8, when he allowed three runs, two earned, over seven innings with seven strikeouts.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday’s games all start at 4:15 p.m. PT/7:15 p.m.
ET. Tuesday will air on SportsNet LA, the MLB app and TBS.
Wednesday will be on SportsNet LA, the MLB app and MLB Network. Thursday will be on SportsNet LA, the MLB app and FS1.
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Shohei Ohtani's Pitching Return Could Be Closer Than Dodgers Fans Think
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The bigger question now is how quickly Shohei Ohtani gets folded into that plan. He could start Sunday against the Tigers, but the Dodgers have not finalized anything yet, and the options still include a one-inning outing or another bullpen session before he takes a full turn. Dave Roberts said Ohtani feels ready to pitch soon, which keeps the door open on a return that has felt close for a while, even if the exact timing is still being sorted out. [Read more 🡒]