The Braves needed Game 2, and they got it in a way that left the Dodgers’ home crowd looking completely checked out before the finish.
Atlanta entered Sunday night knowing how steep the climb would get if it fell behind 2-0 in the NLDS, and that urgency hung over the game from the start. Manager Walt Weiss caught heat for not starting Chris Sale, but the Braves’ bullpen answered the bell. Ray Kerr and Didier Fuentes each turned in playoff performances for the ages, and Atlanta scraped out the kind of win that can flip a series.
It wasn’t a runaway, either. Blake Snell didn’t have his best stuff, but he kept the Braves from breaking through offensively for much of the night, and the game stayed tight all the way through. Still, while Braves fans were locked in, the scene in the stands told its own story.
By the eighth inning, Dodgers fans were already heading for the gates.
Dodgers fans heading for the gates after eighth inning. pic.twitter.com/MSbrA4S9Uw
- Ken Sugiura (@ksugiuraajc) October 5, 2026
That kind of early exit is one thing when a game is out of hand. It’s another when the score is still close in the middle of the playoffs and the home team is trying to rally. The Braves won by one run, which makes the mass movement toward the exits even harder to explain.
The double standard around crowd criticism is hard to miss, too. Atlanta drew plenty of attention last week for day playoff crowds during the work week, even though MLB’s scheduling deserves the blame there. Yet when Dodgers fans start streaming out during a one-run playoff game, that gets treated very differently.
Now the series heads back to Atlanta for Games 3 and 4, both at night, and the Braves should have the kind of crowd behind them that plays much louder on the field than it ever does in the commentary around it.
In Other News...
UCLA Has Ground To Make Up For A Top 5-Star Target
Jalen Davis has become one of the more important names on UCLAs recruiting board, and the Bruins are still in the thick of a race that already has the feel of a three-horse battle. The highly ranked five-star guard has been on the road this fall, with trips to North Carolina and Stanford already in the books and visits to UCLA and Gonzaga still ahead, a sign that the decision-making process is moving toward a critical stage.
For UCLA, the timing matters because Davis is viewed as a skilled scoring guard with a ceiling that could reshape the programs future backcourt picture. The Bruins have ground to make up, and the eventual choice is expected to come down to UCLA, North Carolina and Gonzaga, leaving the staff with work to do before Davis gets to campus and starts weighing the fit in earnest. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Faces A Real Test As UCLA Threatens Its Early Momentum
UCLA heads into its Oct. 10 trip to Autzen Stadium with the kind of profile that can make a ranked road game feel a lot more dangerous than the numbers suggest. Under new coach Bob Chesney, the Bruins have shown a defensive identity that travels well, and quarterback Nico Iamaleava gives them enough presence on offense to make opponents respect the whole field rather than just load up on one side.
For Oregon, this is the sort of early-season test that can either confirm the momentum or expose how much work still needs doing. UCLAs scheme is expected to challenge the Ducks in specific, disciplined ways, and the outcome could shape both teams season outlooks in a hurry, especially with a conference race that leaves little room for a stumble. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA Pass Defense Faces Its Biggest Test At Oregon
UCLAs pass defense has begun to look more like a strength than a concern, a welcome development after the Bruins tightened things up in recent weeks. The performance against Maryland stood out most, with UCLA limiting passing yards and creating turnovers in a way that suggested the secondary was finally starting to settle in. Now the timing gets tricky, because the next assignment comes against an Oregon offense that will be adjusting to a new quarterback.
Dylan Raiola is set to get the start after Dante Moores injury, and even with the Ducks dealing with that change, it remains a difficult test for a Bruins defense that will need to travel and stay disciplined. UCLAs own health could matter just as much, especially if Tao Johnson is able to return and give the secondary some needed depth. The matchup gives the Bruins a chance to prove the recent improvement was real, but it also asks a defense still managing its rotation to handle a much bigger stage. [Read more 🡒]