Dodgers Braves – Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s brilliant pitching put the Dodgers one win away from the NLCS, leaving the Braves facing elimination in Wednesday’s Game 4.
The silence in the dugout after the final out said it all: the Braves’ plan to leverage Chris Sale’s extra rest backfired on the biggest stage. With a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five NLDS now firmly in their grasp. the Dodgers stand just one win away from keeping their quest for three consecutive World Series titles alive. while Atlanta is left searching for answers before Wednesday night’s Game 4.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto proved the difference-maker, stifling Atlanta’s lineup while surrendering only four hits and a single walk. The 2025 World Series MVP moved to an imposing 8-1 in his postseason career. effectively neutralizing a Braves offense that couldn’t find its rhythm until it was too late. While Atlanta managed to scratch out a fifth-inning run when Drake Baldwin’s grounder brought home Mauricio Dubón. the damage had already been done.
Chris Sale, the ace Atlanta counted on to seize momentum, struggled through five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. The game turned in the fourth: following an Andy Pages single, Hernández launched a two-run homer to left. Freddie Freeman. who had been robbed of a home run an inning earlier by a spectacular leaping catch from Dubón. responded by punishing a ball to right field for his 18th career postseason homer. That solo shot extended the Dodgers’ lead to 3-0.
Manager Dave Roberts’ decision to drop Shohei Ohtani to the No. 5 spot in the lineup reshaped the offensive flow. While Ohtani ended the day 0-for-4 with two strikeouts against Sale—following their 1-0 matchup on August 26—the move created the high-leverage moments Roberts envisioned. Ohtani loaded the bases in the third after a catcher’s interference call on Baldwin and eventually drew a walk in the eighth against Atlanta’s fourth pitcher. Brent Suter.
The win was not without a cost for Los Angeles. In the eighth inning. second baseman Miguel Rojas swung and immediately retreated. forced out of the game with lower back pain. Tommy Edman stepped in to replace him. Despite the late-game injury, the Dodgers’ bullpen held firm. Tanner Scott tossed a scoreless eighth, and closer Edwin Díaz survived a tense ninth inning. After Ozzie Albies doubled off the wall and advanced on a groundout. Díaz secured the victory by forcing a foul out from Dubón and a grounder to shortstop Mookie Betts from Mike Yastrzemski.
As the series shifts to Wednesday, the pressure rests entirely on Atlanta’s Tyler Mahle. Recovering from an abdominal pull that he insists is now a “non-issue. ” Mahle is slated to face Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow. For Atlanta. the formula is simple: replicate the form Mahle showed against Philadelphia last week. or watch their season end on the road.
Dodgers Braves NLDS Yoshinobu Yamamoto Chris Sale MLB Playoffs