We’ve barely recovered from MNF, and now The National League Division Series gets serious this Tuesday night (Tuesday 6 October!).
After splitting the opening two games in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves head to Truist Park for a pivotal Game 3 with their best-of-five series tied at 1-1.
And if the first two games were any indication, this series could come down to the smallest of moments.
The Dodgers took Game 1, 5-3, before Atlanta responded with a 3-2 victory in Game 2. The Braves’ win was particularly valuable because it came on the road, allowing Atlanta to steal home-field advantage before the series shifts to Georgia.
Now, two of baseball’s biggest contenders turn to two of their biggest arms.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start for Los Angeles against Chris Sale of Atlanta.
That makes Game 3 arguably the most intriguing matchup of the series so far.
Dodgers vs. Braves: Game 3 details
Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves
Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2026
First pitch: 6:00 p.m. ET / 3:00 p.m. PT
Venue: Truist Park, Atlanta, Georgia
Series: NLDS, tied 1-1
Starting pitchers: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers) vs. Chris Sale (Braves)
U.S. TV: FS1, FOX Deportes and FOX One
Atlanta has already changed the series
Coming into the Division Series, the Dodgers had every reason to feel confident.
Los Angeles entered October as the defending World Series champion and had the luxury of an impressive collection of starting pitchers. Atlanta, meanwhile, had to navigate the Wild Card round before reaching the NLDS.
But two games have changed the complexion of the matchup.
The Dodgers won Game 1 behind a 5-3 victory, taking an early lead in the series. Atlanta then answered in Game 2, winning 3-2 and showing that it could withstand the Dodgers’ lineup even without Sale taking the mound.
Michael Harris II was a major factor in the victory, going 3-for-5 with a double, triple, RBI and run scored. Atlanta’s bullpen also delivered when it mattered, with Ray Kerr and Didier Fuentes combining for 6⅓ innings while allowing just one run.
The result was more than simply a series-tying win.
Atlanta took away Los Angeles’ home-field advantage.
And now the Braves have a chance to take control.
The pitching matchup: Yamamoto vs. Sale
If you’re looking for the main reason to watch Tuesday’s game, start here.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
The Dodgers will hand the ball to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, one of the most important pieces of their postseason rotation.
Yamamoto enters Game 3 with a 2.53 ERA across 185 innings during the 2026 regular season.
He is also coming off one of the most memorable postseason performances of 2025, when he established himself as a major October pitcher and won World Series MVP.
Now Los Angeles needs another big performance.
There is an interesting wrinkle to Yamamoto’s matchup with Atlanta: he has historically been better on the road this season, posting a 1.77 ERA away from Dodger Stadium compared with a 3.13 ERA at home.
That could prove significant in Atlanta.
The Dodgers deliberately structured their rotation so that Yamamoto would be available for this game rather than using him in the opening game of the series.
Now they need him to justify that decision.
Chris Sale gets his chance
Atlanta’s decision surrounding Chris Sale has been one of the biggest talking points of the series.
Sale did not start Game 2. Instead, the Braves used their bullpen, with the strategy ultimately paying off as Atlanta won 3-2.
That means Sale enters Game 3 rested and ready to pitch in what could be the biggest game of the series so far.
The veteran left-hander had a 2.16 ERA over 162⅔ innings during the regular season, making him one of the most effective pitchers in the National League.
There is, however, an unusual wrinkle.
Sale was used in relief during Atlanta’s Wild Card Series against Philadelphia, throwing 1⅓ innings to close out the series. The Braves subsequently elected not to use him in Game 2 of the NLDS, giving him additional rest before Tuesday.
Manager Walt Weiss will now be hoping that decision pays dividends.
If Sale can deliver a deep, dominant start, Atlanta could move to within one victory of the NL Championship Series.
Can Shohei Ohtani break out?
Another storyline hanging over this game is Shohei Ohtani.
There is perhaps no player in baseball capable of changing a postseason game more dramatically with one swing.
But Ohtani has yet to produce one of his trademark October explosions in this series.
According to MLB, he is 5-for-23 with three walks and just one extra-base hit across his first six postseason games of 2026, resulting in a .569 OPS.
That’s hardly the sort of production Dodgers fans expected from one of the most dangerous hitters in the game.
The good news for Los Angeles?
Ohtani doesn’t need to be hot for an entire series to change it.
One home run can transform the atmosphere of a postseason game. One big at-bat can turn a pitcher’s dominant outing into a completely different night.
And with the Dodgers facing Sale, they’ll be hoping their biggest stars can make the difference.
The Braves’ bullpen could be crucial
One of the most impressive aspects of Atlanta’s Game 2 victory was its pitching depth.
The Braves asked their bullpen to handle a huge workload, and it responded.
Kerr and Fuentes combined for more than six innings, allowing Atlanta to protect its lead and keep the Dodgers’ offense under control. Raisel Iglesias then closed the game for his second save of the postseason.
That performance gives Atlanta confidence heading into Game 3.
But it also creates an interesting question.
How much can the Braves realistically ask from those relievers after such a heavy workload?
If Sale pitches deep into Tuesday’s game, that question becomes less important.
If Sale exits early, however, Atlanta’s bullpen could once again become one of the most important stories of the night.
The pressure is now on the Dodgers
For Los Angeles, this is a very different series from the one it envisioned after Game 1.
The Dodgers expected to have home-field advantage.
Instead, Atlanta has taken it.
A Braves victory Tuesday would give Atlanta a 2-1 series lead and put Los Angeles one loss away from elimination.
That’s an uncomfortable position for a team trying to win its third consecutive World Series.
The Dodgers have the experience and talent to handle that pressure. But October baseball has a way of punishing even the deepest rosters when opportunities are missed.
Game 2 provided one such example.
Los Angeles went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, leaving several opportunities on the table in a game it ultimately lost by one run.
That statistic tells much of the story.
The Dodgers don’t necessarily need to hit more home runs.
They need to cash in when runners are on base.
What Atlanta needs to do
The Braves don’t need to reinvent themselves.
They need more of what worked Sunday.
That means:
- Get runners on base early.
- Make Yamamoto work.
- Take advantage of any mistakes.
- Keep the Dodgers from building an early lead.
- Let Sale attack the Los Angeles lineup.
- Continue to trust the bullpen when necessary.
Atlanta also needs another strong performance from its middle of the order.
The Braves showed in Game 2 that they don’t need an offensive explosion to beat Los Angeles. Timely hitting and effective pitching were enough.
If they can repeat that formula at home, Atlanta could find itself in an extremely strong position.
What the Dodgers need to do
The equation for Los Angeles is fairly straightforward.
Win Game 3.
The Dodgers don’t want to return home facing elimination.
That puts enormous importance on Yamamoto’s start, but it also means the offense has to do its part.
The Dodgers’ stars need to turn opportunities into runs.
Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and the rest of the lineup have enough firepower to make life extremely difficult for Sale.
The question is whether they can produce against one of the National League’s best pitchers when the pressure is at its highest.
Why Game 3 could define the series
A tied 1-1 series can change dramatically in one night.
If Atlanta wins, the Braves take a 2-1 lead and can eliminate the defending champions in Game 4.
If Los Angeles wins, the Dodgers regain home-field advantage and move within one victory of advancing.
That’s why Tuesday isn’t simply another playoff game.
It is the pivot point of the series.
The Dodgers have the championship pedigree.
The Braves have momentum, home-field advantage and one of the best pitchers in baseball on the mound.
And somewhere in the middle will be Ohtani and a Dodgers lineup capable of changing the game in an instant.
How to watch Dodgers vs. Braves
For U.S. viewers, first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT.
The game will be broadcast nationally on FS1, with Spanish-language coverage available through FOX Deportes. It will also stream on FOX One.
International viewers should check their local MLB broadcast arrangements, as postseason rights vary by country.
For UK viewers, the game begins at approximately 11 p.m. BST, making it a much more manageable watch than a late-night NFL game. Watch on Discovery+ or TNT Sports1.
The prediction
This feels like a game where pitching should dominate.
Both Sale and Yamamoto have the ability to work deep into the game, and neither lineup will be eager to give away early outs.
The biggest question may ultimately be which team’s stars take advantage of the few opportunities they get.
Atlanta has already shown it can win a low-scoring game against Los Angeles.
But the Dodgers have too much experience, too much talent and too much at stake to overlook.
Prediction: Dodgers 4, Braves 3.
Expect a tense, low-scoring game that could come down to the final few innings — and potentially one big swing from one of baseball’s biggest stars.
One thing is certain: by the end of Tuesday night, we’ll have a much clearer idea of which team is really in control of this NLDS.
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