Atlanta’s postseason moves to Los Angeles today for Game 1 of the National League Division Series, with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. ET. The Braves advanced by beating Philadelphia 6-2 in the deciding Wild Card game and now face the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers.
The matchup is a substantial jump in difficulty. Los Angeles enters rested while Atlanta had to deploy key arms across three Wild Card games. The Braves’ path is to keep the early innings close, avoid giving the Dodgers extra baserunners and turn their lineup depth into pressure rather than waiting for one big swing.
Atlanta finished the regular season 94-68 and won the NL East, six games ahead of Philadelphia. That standings gap is now frozen; October is a series-by-series tournament, and stealing one in Los Angeles would immediately change the geometry of the best-of-five.
