BRADENTON, FLORIDA - MARCH 20, 2026: Wyatt Sanford #5 of the Pittsburgh Pirates looks on prior to a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Detroit Tigers at LECOM Park on March 20, 2026 in Bradenton, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Wyatt Sanford got going the Arizona Fall League over the weekend, blasting a huge homer in a Glendale loss to the Salt River Rafters. Sanford cranked a cutter to an 100mph exit velocity. Check out the homer:
— Pittsburgh Pirates Player Development Report (@PGHplayerDev) October 3, 2026
Pirates No. 5 prospect Wyatt Sanford hits the first homer of the 2026 Arizona Fall League season! pic.twitter.com/i8pdh0OLzJ
— MLB's Arizona Fall League (@MLBazFallLeague) October 3, 2026
The Desert Dogs ended up losing this one and are now off to an 0-2 start, but Sanford is a name to keep an eye on for the Bucs.
Sanford was taken in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft, and was widely regarded as somewhat of a light hitter, however, he hit 19 home runs this past season in the Minors, including 17 with Greenboro. He also had a three home run game on May 26, hitting two solo homers and a two-run dinger in a 19-13 win over Hub City.
He did play five games in Bradenton and had two homers in just 22 at-bats. He also dealt with some injuries this season, but the 20-year-old finished his Minor League season with a combined .282 average with 19 homers, 44 RBIs, and 33 stolen bases. He had a .417 OBP, .566 slugging percentage, and a .963 OPS.
While the Bucs don’t exactly have a glaring need for a shortstop, with Konnor Griffin slotted there for the foreseeable future, Sanford is the exact type of infielder that could work as a utility guy and backup for Griffin — strong defense, quick, and improving as a hitter.
You’ll likely see Sanford above Greensboro and in Altoona this coming season, and he’s a name to keep an eye for the future after a strong start to the Arizona Fall League.
The Chicago White Sox take a 1-0 American League Division series lead into Game 2 on Monday, Oct. 5 against the Cleveland Guardians, being played at Progressive Field after an off day Sunday.
The White Sox won 3-0 in the first game of the best-of-five series in Cleveland with a dominant pitching performance and a huge home run from rookie Munetaka Murakami. The series shifts to Chicago for Game 3 on Wednesday and Game 4, if necessary, on Thursday.
"We still like where we're at," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said Sunday. "We still have a great opportunity ahead of us to even the series tomorrow and go to Chicago with a chance to win it."
Left-hander Anthony Kay starts for the White Sox with Gavin Williams taking the mound for the Guardians in Game 2. Making its first postseason appearance since 2021, Chicago has won all three of its postseason games after sweeping the AL wild card series against the Houston Astros.
How to watch White Sox vs Guardians: TV channel, streaming
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NY Post | Greg Joyce: The Yankees were off on Sunday, but those who wanted to stay sharp didn’t go to Tropicana Field. Instead, they went to their own spring training facility, George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. Some pitchers reportedly threw there, and some position players also used the team’s facilities to work out ahead of Game 2.
“You’ve got a full facility, our training stuff, modalities, things like that, plenty of fields to get whatever space you need,” manager Aaron Boone said on a video call Sunday. “We’ve got Trajekt for guys who want to get on that. And staying in Tampa, it’s a quick, easier back and forth.”
NY Post | Mark Suleymanov: The Yankees dropped Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday. While they won’t take the field on Monday with the season on the line, it certainly feels like it – losing Game 2 would leave them in a 0-2 hole. “It’s a must-win [game],” former captain Derek Jeter asserted during Fox Sports’ postgame coverage. Tying the series behind Cam Schlittler would certainly give New York the kind of boost they need ahead of two (hopefully) key games in the Bronx.
SNY | Anthony McCarron: Yes, Saturday’s 1-0 loss hurt. However, according to McCarron, the quality pitching showing on the Yankees’ side in the series opener plus “the looming spectre of Cam Schlittler in Game 2 (and Game 5) are all evidence that this ALDS is far from over.” Drew Rasmussen being up one more time is certainly a problem, but the Yanks have the arms to match the Rays. They do need their hitters to, well, hit.
The Athletic | Chris Kirschner: Austin Wells committed what could be a ‘season-altering’ baserunning blunder in Game 1. He hit a double off Rasmussen, the Yankees’ first hit of the night, and thought he had a chance to go for the triple. Kirschner described the moment in the words of the catcher himself.
“I put my head down and went for it,” Wells said. Wells, for a moment, loved his chances. There was one point during his race, however, that he knew he would be tagged out. “This was the chance I was going to take with the game on the line,” he said. “I thought it kicked pretty favorably in my way.”
TORONTO, CANADA - SEPTEMBER 26: Sean Keys #20 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a single against the Cincinnati Reds during the second inning in their MLB game at Rogers Centre on September 26, 2026 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Nine Jays prospects made the list (in addition to Arjun Nimmala, who’s an Angel now but probably owes his gains to work done while he was with the Jays organization). Only the Cardinals (11) and Dodgers (10) has more of their batters add major strength this year. The team has invested a lot in their strength and conditioning program as part of the redevelopment of the Florida complex, and that seems to be paying off. They’ve been singled out as a top organization in that area by multiple prospect experts, most recently Fangraphs’ Brendan Gawlowski. Below, I’ve briefly profiled each of the nine players who made a jump.
The AA Sluggers: Aaron Parker and Jace Bohrofen
Each added a bit more than 3.5mph, with Parker jumping from 106.7mph to 110.4 and Bohrofen from 105.4 to 109.3. Those are big numbers. BA’s Eli Ben-Porat looked into MLB players’ 90th percentile exit velocities in the 2023 seas on to develop rules of thumb for translating the numbers into power scouting grades. He found that most big leaguers cluster around 104mph, making that a 50 on the 20-10 scale. Each mile per hour is a half grade (5 points). 110mph is an 80, the top of the scale. It’s the land of Yordans Alvarez and Aarons Judge. Parker crushes the ball, and Bohrofen is just behind him in the realm of Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, and, well, Vlad.
Neither player is a top prospect in spite of all that juice, however, because of issues with their approaches and contact ability. Parker got the bat on the ball just under 67% of the time this season, while Bohrofen managed an abysmal 62%. Both represent 20 grade contact, and would surely go down farther against MLB calibre pitching. They each take some walks, but that’s more a factor of wild AA pitching than particularly strong plate discipline.
Both players, then, have an exciting carrying tool but will need major strides in the other aspects of hitting to be able to use it at the top level.
Getting to Average: Dub Gleed, J.R. Freethy, Nick Goodwin, Alexis Hernandez and Jean Joseph
All of these players jumped from between 101 and 102mph to between 104 and 105, or 30-35 to 50 on the scouting scale. Gleed and Freethy were both later picks in the 2024 draft, with the former going to the Marlins in the 9th and the latter the Blue Jays in the 14th. Gleed was eventually the trade return for Leo Jimenez when he was squeezed off the 40 man roster this spring. Goodwin was drafted one year earlier. All three are infielders in the upper minors with above average contact skills, solid approaches, and no slam dunk position. With 35 level raw power that profile is just above an org player, the kind of guy who gets hidden on the back half of a AAA roster. With average power, they have a shot to fit as bat first bench infielders that can add a little actual value in MLB. It’s not a thrilling profile, but you need players of this type. 25 different players took a PA for the Jays this past season. When the time comes, it’s nice to have a player who can offer a little pop at the back of the lineup.
Hernandez is a deep, deep sleeper. He was acquired from the Red Sox in the AAA portion of the 2023 Rule 5 draft, which is typically mostly a way to fill out organizational role players. He’s spent the last three seasons slowly climbing the ladder, culminating in a month at AA this past year. He raised his 90th percentile EV from 102.5mph to 104.9 this season, to solid average. Combined with a swing that generates a lot of line drives up the middle, solid contact numbers and a semblance of an approach, that allowed him to put up a career best 132 wRC+. He’s not a major prospect by any stretch, and you have to take a 23 year old’s results against mostly 21 year olds in A+ with a grain of salt, but a guy who plays all three outfield positions and has some offensive tools is worth noting. This season moves him from firmly an org guy to someone who might see an outfield call up if he can consolidate his improvement with a full season in the upper minors in 2027.
Joseph is younger than the other three, at just 21. He jumped straight to A ball as a teenager in 2024 and has held his own at that level over the past three seasons. After losing some time to injury, he got his first taste of A+ late this year. A .153 BABIP masks a strong performance, as he struck out just 13.6% of the time and launched four home runs and seven total extra base hits in 81 PA. His contact rate took a step forward this season and is now plus. He’s always had a strong approach, and has been noted for some speed in the past (although he moved from centre to primarily right field this year). Pair all that with now average thump, and there are the ingredients for a real player. Keep an eye on him as a breakout candidate next year.
A Young Player Flexing his Potential: Aldo Gaxiola
Gaxiola is a 20 year old who signed as an international free agent out of Mexico without much fanfare in May of 2023. He spent two years in the Domincan Summer League and then last season at the American complex before debuting in real games with Dunedin this summer. It was technically his age 20 season, although with a mid-June birthday he was still among the younger players at the level. That didn’t stop him from posting a 106.9mph 90th percentile exit velocity, which would be comfortably plus at the MLB level. He looks solid and physically mature for his age, but given how young he is there’s potential for 70 or better raw power once he’s fully grown up. Right now, there’s a lot of work for Gaxiola to do if that thump is going to carry him to the major leagues. He chased too much and made too little contact this season, and he’ll need to learn to elevate the ball a bit more to turn his strength into production. As he’s already in the process of moving to first base the offensive bar he has to clear is going to be high. Near-elite raw power is a great cornerstone of a prospect profile, though, and he’ll bear close watching this coming season.
The Top Prospect: Sean Keys
I’ve been beating the drum on Keys all season. He was our #17 prospect entering the season after a decent year at A+, and got a pretty cautious write-up from Matt, noting some issues with swing and miss and defensive limitations that would require him to prove it at every level. Well, prove it he did, launching 14 home runs in just 49 games in a brief stop at AA before producing even better after a promotion to Buffalo. His 165 wRC+ was the best in the entire minor leagues among players who got at least 400 PA. His cameo in MLB went poorly, as he got over-aggressive and posted just a 57 wRC+ with too many strikeouts and few walks. The underlying proof of his talent was still there, though, with great bat speed numbers, a 54% hard hit rate and 10% barrel rate, and a contact rate that stood up surprisingly well to top level pitching. His 107.1mph 90th percentile EV is just confirmation of all that then: he upped his power from solid average to easy plus while retaining the ability to make enough good quality contact for it to play. He’ll need to continue to refine his approach, but I’m a true believer and think he’ll hit enough to be a solid regular even at first base or DH.
LOS ANGELES — In the shadows of Hollywood, where stars are born, dreams are made, and the outrageous becomes conceivable, say hello to that baseball team that could out of Atlanta.
It was supposed to be a glorified bye for the Dodgers, who just 48 hours ago, were talking about setting up their starting rotation for the National League Championship Series.
Now, they’re not even guaranteed playing another game at Dodger Stadium.
Atlanta, made the decision to give 37-year-old Cy Young winner Chris Sale ample rest and go with a bullpen game for the third consecutive contest, facing two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell.
Atlanta started 32-year-old rookie Ray Kerr, who was in the foster care system as a kid. He worked at the local 7-Eleven and cleaned movie theaters to make ends meet as a junior college player in Reno. They used 21-year-old Didier Fuentes, the youngest pitcher in baseball, to retire 11 consecutive batters – the longest streak by a reliever that young in postseason history. And they relied on Atlanta native Michael Harris II to provide the offense, who singled, doubled, tripled, scored and drove in a run.
When the evening ended, Atlanta had a 3-2 victory at Dodger Stadium, and they headed back to their Beverly Hills hotel with a flight back home Monday, leading this best-of-five National League Division Series at 1-1.
Well, technically the series is tied, but with a rested Sale – who shut out the Dodgers in August – ready to pitch Game 3, and Tyle Mahle, who has been baseball’s biggest trade deadline acquisition (4-1, 1.99 ERA) scheduled in Game 4, no wonder they feel like they’re leading the series.
Certainly, no one in the Atlanta clubhouse dared to say they were in the driver’s seat, knowing that World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamato is lined up to pitch Game 3 for the Dodgers, with Tyler Glasnow in Game 4 and two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal for a potential Game 5.
The Dodgers are the two-time defending World Series champions for a reason.
Yet, all of a sudden, they appear a bit vulnerable.
“We’re feeling pretty good," Atlanta DH Rowdy Tellez tells USA TODAY Sports. “It’s big getting the split here and going back to our place. We know we’re going to be facing Yamamoto, so to have our best counterpart go against counterpoint, I think is going to be good for us. We also saw a lot of their pitchers, so that puts us in a good spot."
Says outfielder Mike Yastrzemski: “I think in a realistic world, coming in there and leaving at 1-1, was a really good scenario for us to be able to take that home. This is not an easy place to play, especially in the playoffs, and it’s not an easy team to beat. So, to leave here 1-1 and have Sale going is awesome. It’s nice that he got rest, too."
After throwing 24 pitches in relief on Thursday, Atlanta wanted a fresh, well-rested Sale, for Game 3, gambling it would work.
It worked, just like a Hollywood script, with Weiss purposely holding back his top leverage relievers for Sunday once they were losing Game 1.
“I think losing the way we did [Saturday]," Weiss said, “allowed us to do what we did tonight and gain the split."
But, of course, who knew that it would be as simple as Fuentes entering the game in the sixth inning, and watching him come within one out of closing it out. He was one strike away from completing the four-out save before giving up a home run to Max Muncy before Raisel Iglesias stepped in for the final out, getting Josue De Paula to pop out.
“It wasn't the plan, believe me," Weiss said. “When I went to him in the sixth, I was thinking I've got to get the last four innings between him and Iglesias. To be honest with you, I thought it would probably be most likely two and two, but Didi was throwing the ball so well, I didn't want to mess with that. He was throwing the ball really well. ... I don't want to get in the way of a good thing."
Fuentes said when he became the fifth Atlanta pitcher in the game, he had no idea how long he’d go. He was just going to keep on pitching until someone told him to stop.
“It was super emotional, very exciting, against the Dodgers no less," he said. “It’s been nice to be able to gain that confidence throughout the whole season, and just gain that experience as well. The message stays the same. Whenever you need me, just let me know, and I’ll do whatever the team needs."
The Dodgers were trying to tell themselves in the clubhouse before leaving for Atlanta that at least they’ve seen all of Atlanta’s relievers in the first two games. They not only have all of the scouting reports, but they’ve seen the pitchers with their own eyes.
Now, they just have to execute.
“We need to get going offensively," said Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts. “It’s not going to be easy, but I mean we knew that from the beginning. We know it’s going to be a tough matchup, no matter who’s on the mound."
The Dodgers know they just need to win one game in Atlanta to assure that at the least, the series returns to Dodger Stadium, where two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal would pitch in Game after dominating Atlanta in the series opener.
“Look, we've got to face more Cy Young Award winners for them," Weiss said. “Every starter on their staff is a Cy Young guy. It doesn't get any easier, but I like the fact that we go back home even and we have Chris Sale.
“We're in a good position."
And, yes, besides Sale and Mahle scheduled the next two games, they also have Kerr.
Kerr, who helped Atlanta beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the wild-card round by starting and pitching 3 ½ shutout innings in their deciding Game 3, stepped up again and delivered.
“Ray Kerr is amazing, man," Weiss said. “He did it again for us, just amazing. There always seems to be some unsung heroes in the postseason. Ray's definitely one of them.’’
Said Kerr: “You know, it’s been fun, it’s very exciting, and like overnight I’ve got like a thousand followers on Instagram. So, I’m getting used to it. I’m just going to be myself.’’
But if Atlanta can pull off this stunning upset, stopping the Dodgers from becoming only the third franchise to win three consecutive World Series, their entire team will be remembered forever.
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LOS ANGELES – Dave Roberts had every reason to feel good going into Game 2 of the NLDS on Sunday. The Los Angeles Dodgers had just powered their way to a 5-3 series-opening win over the Atlanta Braves the day before behind homers from Teoscar Hernández, Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy and a six-inning gem from Tarik Skubal. And with the Braves opting for a second straight bullpen game and Blake Snell set to start, it looked as if the Dodgers were about to take a chokehold on the series.
But things went awry almost instantly at Dodger Stadium.
Snell walked Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies back to back after Ronald Acuña Jr. got on base with a one-out single. The former Cy Young winner needed 27 pitches to get out of that bases-loaded jam in the first inning and limited the damage to just one run, but 90 pitches in just 3⅔ innings later, Snell was out of the game. The Dodgers went through six relievers in a 3-2 loss to Atlanta in what turned out to be a bullpen game of their own.
"He just was fighting himself with his delivery all game," Roberts said. "The fastball was really good. The change-up was good at times. I think in total didn't have fastball command, didn't have slider command, and the change-up wasn't there. He was pulling it. ... He just wasn't sharp tonight."
The metrics on Snell all looked good on Sunday. His velocity across all four pitches was up as he drew 12 whiffs in his outing, leading all pitchers. Crucially, his velo didn't go down as the game went on, so there was nothing in the numbers to suggest that Snell was still dealing with the left groin tightness that pulled him after just one inning in his penultimate start of the season in Cincinnati on Sept. 16. While Roberts admitted he didn't think Snell looked sharp when he pitched four innings in San Francisco in his return to the mound on Sept. 26, he still felt good coming out of it.
He was encouraged further when he threw an inning earlier this week during the bye.
"There were no concerns," Roberts said.
Where things went wrong was Snell's inability to find the strike zone as he walked five batters. His induced vertical break was down across his entire arsenal, and he only threw 13 called strikes for a combined called strike plus whiff rate of 28%, just slightly lower than the 32% of all his pitches that found the zone. The command just simply wasn't there on Sunday.
Snell was unavailable to the media postgame due to a family matter, per Dodgers PR.
“He was fighting himself all game.”
Before Freddie Freeman’s game-tying solo home run, Dave Roberts spoke with @Ken_Rosenthal about Blake Snell’s outing today and what his plans are for the bullpen. pic.twitter.com/GeOO2xA1Te
What a turn of events for the Braves, though. Just when it looked like their season was about to be over, they created enough traffic on the bases to chase the Dodgers' second ace and steal a win on the road to tie the series up heading back to Atlanta, where they'll have a rested Chris Sale waiting to take the mound. Suddenly, they now have the upper hand in a series they once seemed desperately out of.
The pressure now lies on Yoshinobu Yamamoto more than it does on the 37-year-old Sale.
"We're in a good position," Braves manager Walt Weiss said. "... Look, we've got to face more Cy Young Award winners for them. Every starter on their staff is a Cy Young guy. It doesn't get any easier, but I like the fact that we go back home even and we have Chris Sale."
For the Dodgers, the inconsistent offense that plagued much of their summer reared its head again at the worst possible time. Shohei Ohtani still doesn't look right at the plate. Andy Pages is struggling in October once again, despite posting the best season of his career at the plate in 2026, which Roberts admitted has given him "a little bit" of concern. Collectively, the Dodgers left seven runners on base and went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position on Sunday. No matter who's on the mound, that can't happen. Especially in the postseason.
The momentum has been snatched from the Dodgers. Yamamoto has shown he's more than capable of getting it back. But the Braves showed on Sunday this won't be the cakewalk some thought it would be.
"It's a good team offensively. They're going to fight," Roberts said. "(Michael) Harris (II) is swinging a good bat. We knew it was going to be a battle. So, we knew those guys weren't going to go down. Expecting to see Sale Game 3. We've got our work cut out. So now it's a three-game series."
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Harris II tripled and scored the go-ahead run on reliever Kris Bubic’s wild pitch in the fifth inning, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 on Sunday night to even the National League Division Series at a game apiece.
“Getting the split in this place against these guys, yeah, it’s awesome,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said.
Harris’ RBI double to right against reliever Edgardo Henriquez added an insurance run with two outs in the seventh in what turned into a bullpen game for both teams when the Braves chased Dodgers starter Blake Snell after 3 2/3 innings — his shortest postseason start since 2022 with San Diego.
Harris also singled in the third, coming up a home run short of hitting for the cycle.
“Michael had a great game,” Weiss said. “Postseason, you never know what’s going to happen. There’s no blueprint. There’s no playbook. There seems to always be unsung heroes in the postseason.”
Max Muncy’s two-strike, two-out homer off Didier Fuentes pulled the Dodgers to 3-2 in the ninth. Braves closer Raisel Igelsias, their fifth reliever, earned his second save after getting pinch-hitter Josue De Paula to foul out to third to end the game.
“They’re going to use any pitcher, try to get every matchup possible,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “They’re going to ride certain guys, and obviously they use their bullpen accordingly.”
Runs were hard to come by after the teams combined for five homers in the Dodgers’ 5-3 victory in Game 1.
After Mookie Betts walked and Shohei Ohtani singled to open the fifth, Atlanta’s bullpen retired the next 14 consecutive Dodgers’ hitters.
Los Angeles stranded seven runners on base over the first five innings. Ohtani, the four-time MVP, wasn’t a factor for the second straight game, going 1 for 4 with two strikeouts.
“If you look at the at-bats, there’s a lot of chase,” Roberts said. “It’s hard to square up, put good swings on balls that are out of the zone.”
The Braves retook the lead, 2-1, on Bubic’s wild pitch after Harris’ two-out triple, his first ever in the postseason.
Freddie Freeman tied it at 1 on a two-strike solo shot off Braves reliever Grant Holmes in the fourth while facing his former team for the first time in the postseason.
“We got to find a way to score some runs without hitting a home run. That’s our biggest thing right now,” Freeman said. “Get guys on base, get that big hit and hope that our pitching keeps doing good.”
Snell struggled throughout, never finding a rhythm. The two-time Cy Young Award winner threw 90 pitches and only 47 for strikes. He gave up one run and three hits, walked five and struck out five.
Snell needed 27 pitches to get through the first, when he had only three more strikes thrown than balls. He wasn’t available to speak with media after the game, having left the ballpark due to a family emergency, a team spokesman said.
The Braves led 1-0 on Mauricio Dubón’s bases-loaded, two-strike single to shortstop with two outs in the first. Betts made a diving stop, but his throw to first was too late, allowing Ronald Acuña Jr. to score after singling and stealing second.
Ray Kerr started the game for the Braves, who elected to give Chris Sale extra rest ahead of his start in Game 3.
Roki Sasaki, the Dodgers’ sixth reliever, loaded the bases in the eighth on a walk, hit by pitch and an intentional walk with one out. Acuña hit into an inning-ending double play.
Up next
After a travel day, Braves LHP Chris Sale starts Game 3 on Tuesday in Atlanta against Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Teoscar Hernández reacts after striking out in the fifth inning during a 3-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of the NLDS on Sunday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The most impressive number the Dodgers put up this season was 100 — the games they won. They had to do a lot of things right to get there.
No Dodger ranked among the top 16 in the majors in home runs or the top 37 in RBIs, yet they were fourth in runs scored. How? They were third in the majors in walks and near the bottom in strikeouts, which allowed them to manufacture runs by stringing together long innings rather than relying on the long ball.
Two games into the postseason, that script has flipped. After Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the Braves, the Dodgers head to Atlanta with their best-of-five National League Division Series tied. Suddenly the Braves, who will start ace Chris Sale on Tuesday, have the edge.
“Getting the split in this place against these guys, yeah, it’s awesome,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said.
All seven of the Dodgers’ runs in the NLDS have come on five home runs, three of them with the bases empty. The Dodgers are 0 for 9 with men in scoring position, stranding 13 runners. They’ve also struck out three times more often than they’ve walked and are batting .215 against the relay team of 10 pitchers Atlanta has used.
“We didn’t throw out a bunch of hits, but there was still traffic,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “We didn’t need many hits tonight to have a different result, and we just couldn’t get it.”
Sure it’s a small sample; just two games. Yet it should be a troubling one for the Dodgers, the two-time defending World Series champions.
“Sometimes it’s just you can’t hit,” said Mookie Betts, who walked twice. “I mean, there’s nothing really you can do to explain that. You’ve just got to be in the moment and come through. We had some moments today [when] we didn’t come through.
“That’s part of the game. We’ve just got to keep giving ourselves moments, and eventually something will happen.”
“We’ve got to find a way to score some runs without hitting a home run,” added Freddie Freeman, who homered Sunday and has three hits in the series. “That’s our biggest thing right now. So keep getting guys on base and get that big hit.”
Freeman said the Braves have done a good job keeping the Dodgers hitters off-balance by emptying their bullpen, sending in a fresh pitcher every couple of innings.
“It’s tough because you’re facing a different arm every single time you’re going up there,” Freeman said. “It’s different angles, different velocities, different things. So stringing hits together is very hard.
“This is the playoffs. We’re not going to score eight to 10 runs. It’s hard. Pitching staffs are good.”
Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández wondered whether the Braves’ game plan might soon backfire. Aside from Sale, Weiss has few pitchers left the Dodgers haven’t seen; eventually they’ll catch up, he says.
“We’ve seen basically the best out of the bullpen,” Hernández said. “We can have a better plan for Tuesday and Wednesday.”
Will Smith reacts after popping out during the fifth inning in the Dodgers' 3-2 loss to the Braves on Sunday. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
Although the Dodgers committed the second-fewest errors and gave up the fewest unearned runs this season, they haven’t looked sharp defensively in the postseason, with all three Atlanta runs Sunday coming with two outs.
The Braves loaded the bases in the first inning on a single and two walks before scoring when a diving Betts snared a Mauricio Dubón grounder up the middle, but threw wild and late to first, enabling Ronald Acuña Jr. to score. They then went ahead to stay in the fifth on a line drive to left that Hernández misplayed into a triple, followed by reliever Kris Bubic’s wild pitch.
“I didn’t think he hit it that good,” Hernández said. “I didn’t break in, but I broke to the side. And then when I realized, it was too late.”
Atlanta’s final run came in the seventh when Michael Harris II one-hopped the wall in right-center, allowing Matt Olson, running from first on the full-count pitch, to score.
Now the advantage swings to the Braves, who go to Truist Park, where they had the second-best home record in the league.
“We knew it was going to be a battle. We knew those guys weren’t going to go down,” Roberts said of the Braves.
Unfortunately, the solo shot wasn’t enough to bring Los Angeles back. Josue De Paula popped out one batter later, cementing the Braves 3-2 win and evening the series 1-1 as it heads to Atlanta.
It seemed that Kellie tried to spark some good fortune for her husband’s team. She made an Instagram post showing the hilarious Max Muncy bobblehead t-shirts that she and the children were wearing. It was captioned, “Keepin’ it for game ”.
Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (13) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves in game two of the NLDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectKellie Muncy poses with her three children while wearing matching Max Muncy bobblehead t-shirts. (Instagram/@kellie_muncy).
The post was made late in Sunday’s game, a short time before Muncy hit that ninth inning blast.
This marked the second straight game where Muncy hit a home run, extending his record for the most homers in franchise history (18).
Muncy is one of the few Dodgers players who are clicking at the plate right now.
Fans will hope that Kellie makes another Instagram post during Game 3 on Tuesday, since it seems to be a good luck charm for her husband.
Kellie Muncy poses for a photo at a Los Angeles Dodgers game. (Instagram/@kellie_muncy).
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 04: Didier Fuentes #72 of the Atlanta Braves reacts to a play during Game Two of the National League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, October 4, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
In the pregame press conference preceding Game 2 of the NLDS, Walt Weiss stated that he was going to just “watch and see what happens” when it came to relying on his bullpen to carry him and the rest of the Atlanta Braves through another high-stakes Postseason game.
As it turned out, one reliever in particular took it upon himself to carry the Braves through nearly the entire final three innings of an eventual 3-2, series-tying win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Didier Fuentes was absolutely dazzling with his only real blemish being a ninth-inning solo homer with two outs given to Max Muncy. With that being said, the 11 outs that Fuentes did get were absolutely huge and definitely helped carry the Braves across the finish line in order to steal home field advantage ahead of a Chris Sale start in Game 3.
“We’re in a good position,” said Weiss when he was asked during the postgame press conference about his pitching plans for once the series shifts to Cobb County. “We’ve got Chris Sale lined up after a split here…Look, we’ve got to face more Cy Young Award winners for [the Dodgers]. Every starter on their staff is a Cy Young guy. It doesn’t get any easier, but I like the fact that we go back home even and we have Chris Sale.”
“I think whenever you have Sale on the mound, you’ve seen it the last couple years about what he can do. You feel good whenever you’re playing at home and Sale’s on the mound,” said Drake Baldwin (who got on base three times with three walks in this one) when he was asked about going back home with a Chris Sale start coming up next. “Being tied, you feel a little bit better than being down 0-2.”
When Weiss was asked about whether or not having Fuentes go 2.2 innings was the plan all along, Weiss stayed true to his word when he stated that he was simply going to watch and observe what happened and go from there. “It wasn’t the plan, believe me,” exclaimed Weiss. “When I went to him in the sixth, I was thinking ‘I’ve got to get the last four innings between him and Iglesias.’ To be honest with you, I thought it would probably be most likely two and two, but Didi was throwing the ball so well, I didn’t want to mess with that. After his third inning, I looked at our pitching coach [and said], ‘Let’s see how he feels. If he feels good enough, I want to send him back out.’ I didn’t want to mess with a good thing. He was throwing the ball really well.”
Indeed, it felt similar to how he let Ray Kerr (who was excellent once again during Game 2 of the NLDS) go for as long as possible in Game 3 — and it’s also a testament to the trust and faith that Weiss has placed in his players all season. If he feels like his pitchers are doing well, he’s going to let them go — within reason. He’s not the type to hang someone out to dry or to leave a guy in simply to get a round number in the “IP” category but he does show plenty of faith in his players to get the job done in their stated role and he did just that with Fuentes tonight.
Fuentes’s efforts ended up making for a short night for closer Raisel Iglesias, who got 21-year-old Josue De Paula to pop out in order to end the game and lock down the victory for Atlanta.
“Look, Iglesias is one of the best closers in the game. Like I said, I just didn’t want to mess with a good thing,” continued Weiss as he talked about why he left Fuentes in for as long as he did. “I was going to give him one base runner. It was hitter to hitter in the ninth. He happened to get two quick outs. I was going to Iglesias the first hitter that got on. Yeah, [he] gave up the homer to Muncy, and that obviously was time [for him to leave]. But I don’t want to get in the way of a good thing.”
While Didier Fuentes stole the show with his efforts on the mound, the hometown kid Michael Harris II continued to rake at the plate. Harris had 18 games with at least three hits during the regular season and he’s now pulled it off in two of the five Postseason games that the Braves have played so far. His big double in the seventh inning wound up being the difference, as Matt Olson scored what turned out to be the winning run that gave the Braves enough breathing room to survive.
“I think it means a lot to obviously overcome what happened yesterday, not winning the game, and taking momentum and going back to Atlanta and potentially hand the ball off to either Mahle or Sale,” said Harris when he was asked about how big it was to pick up the split. “I think that gives us confidence and motivation to come back with some momentum.”
When Harris was asked about how it felt to be producing at such a high level for the team that he grew up being a fan of and watching, Money Mike was full of hometown pride in that regard. “Yeah, it means a lot just knowing I was there in that situation watching [the 2021 NLCS],” said Harris. “Watching [Austin Riley] hit the walkoff [in Game 1 of that series] and being there for that, just chanting MVP for him. Now we’re here in the playoffs trying to do the same thing.”
“Yeah, it means a lot, and now I’m out on the field to be able to wear that jersey in front of the city that I grew up in and I was once sitting in those seats,” continued Harris. “Yeah, it feels good.”
It’s certainly a treat to see someone with local ties deliver in such a big moment for the Braves and now he’ll be in a similar position to deliver in front of the hometown fans once the series shifts to Atlanta on Tuesday. The Braves now have home field advantage in this series and are now on the front foot with a day of rest and two of their best starters lined up for the next two games. Again, it won’t be easy but as Weiss has continued to maintain all season, this team has proven that they’re at their best with their backs against the wall.
Hopefully they’ll be able to put the Dodgers in that position with a win in Game 3 with Chris Sale starting. The bullpen has carried this team through — now it’s Sale and the rotation’s turn. We’ll see what happens going forward!
The Atlanta Braves walked into their National League Division Series with an enormous self-inflicted wound, and the Dodgers had them right where they wanted after claiming the opening game.
But as this series heads to Atlanta for Games 3 and 4, the Dodgers unexpectedly find themselves in trouble.
Serious trouble.
Possibly dynasty-ending trouble.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani watches from the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the fourth inning of Game 2 of the NLDS in Los Angeles, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. Wally Skalij for CA Post
So much for the Dodgers’ edge in pitching.
So much for the Braves being worn down.
The Dodgers handed back whatever advantages they had in an unforgivable 3-2 defeat on Sunday that leveled the series at one game apiece.
This is a series now.
If the Dodgers are to advance to the NL Championship Series, they will have to earn it.
Atlanta Braves pitcher Robert Suarez reacts after the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game two of the NLDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
If there is a Game 5, it will be played at Dodger Stadium, with Tarik Skubal scaling the mound for the Dodgers and the Braves resorting to their third bullpen game of the series. Skubal blanked the Braves over six innings in Game 1, but six Braves relievers combined to shut down the Dodgers in Game 2.
The Braves have found a realistic path to victory in a series in which they looked as if they had no chance just a day earlier.
How did it come to this?
The short answer is that Braves manager Walt Weiss gambled – and won.
Instead of starting Sale in Game 2, Weiss elected to push him back two days and have him pitch Game 3.
If Sale would have pitched on Sunday, he would have done so on four-days’ rest, which the 37-year-old hadn’t done since April. Sale was only three days removed from converting a four-out save against the Philadelphia Phillies in a Wild Card Series.
The downside for the Braves was considerable. Their two previous games were also bullpen games, and they were counting on a run-down group of relievers to take down Snell and stop the Dodgers from taking a two-games-to-none lead.
The Dodgers are at fault for that not happening.
If their dreams of a three-peat evaporate over the next week, Game 2 will be the game on which they look back with regret.
The Braves didn’t win this game as much as the Dodgers lost it.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell reacts before coming out of the game in the fourth inning. Wally Skalij for CA PostAtlanta Braves’ Michael Harris celebrates his triple against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth inning. Wally Skalij for CA Post
They had one of their aces on the mound in Blake Snell.
And Snell absolutely stunk.
They had Shohei Ohtani in the batter’s box with two runners on base in the third inning.
And Ohtani popped up.
They started the fifth inning with Mookie Betts drawing a walk and Ohtani advancing him to second base with a ground-ball single.
And Will Smith, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez failed to drive either of them in.
The Dodgers left seven men on base. They were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position. The only runs they scored were the result of a fourth-inning home run by Freeman and a solo shot from Max Muncy in the ninth.
The offense doesn’t look right, with Ohtani out of sync and the team not being able to score unless they knock the ball over the fence. Three homers were responsible for each of the five runs they scored in their Game 1 victory.
As was the case last year, the Dodgers will be counting on Yoshinobu Yamamoto to save their season.
Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernandez cannot reach the ball on a triple by Atlanta Braves’ Michael Harris in the fifth inning of Game 2 of the NLDS. Wally Skalij for CA Post
When the Dodgers were behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series by a three-games-to-two deficit last year, it was Yamamoto who won Game 6.
When they ran out of pitchers a day later in Game 7, it was Yamamoto who pitched the final 2 ⅔ innings.
Tuesday night at Truist Field, Yamamoto will pitch opposite of Sale.
How Yamamoto performs could determine whether the Dodgers win the World Series – and how they are remembered.
Atlanta Braves outfielder Mike Yastrzemski (18), outfielder Michael Harris II (23) and outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (13) celebrate after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in game two of the NLDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell didn't make it out of the fourth inning in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
The inning could have — arguably should have — been over already. But instead, the Atlanta Braves’ Michael Harris II stood 90 feet away from scoring the go-ahead run.
And the Dodgers, who failed to take care of the little things Sunday night, handed the lead back to the Braves.
Left-handed reliever Kris Bubic lost control of a sweeper. And it flew high and outside, off the end of catcher Will Smith’s glove and to the edge of the grass behind home plate.
Harris scored standing up. And the Dodgers trailed for the final five innings of Game 2 of the National League Division Series, ultimately a 3-2 loss, evening the series.
“We didn’t want to give in there,” said Bubic, who was trying to throw that slider for strike in a 2-and-0 count to Mauricio Dubón. “But that’s the last thing you want to do there.”
That wild pitch was one of many Dodgers missteps Sunday.
They entered Game 2 with a long list of advantages: The Dodgers were playing at home, they had momentum from the win the day before, they had one of best starting pitchers on the mound to counter a second straight Braves bullpen game.
They gave away every edge they had.
“We all knew it was going to be a good series,” veteran first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “Just two really good teams going at it. Pitching’s been really good.”
Braves left-hander Ray Kerr, who excelled down the stretch as a long reliever, served as the opener Sunday. And the Braves used six pitchers, leaning on right-hander Didier Fuentes for 3⅔ innings, to hold the Dodgers to two solo homers.
The Dodgers, despite starting two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell, used seven pitchers. So much for that advantage.
The Dodgers managed just two hits off Kerr, each to open an inning. Freeman lined a single into right field to kick off the second. And Miguel Rojas sent a double into the left-field corner to begin the third.
The Dodgers stranded both — in sequences that included a pop-out bunt from Tommy Edman. Shohei Ohtani was the last batter Kerr faced, and with two runners on and one out, Ohtani popped up a high cutter in a full count.
Snell lasted only one inning more than Kerr.
Snell’s first frame easily could have spiraled. With one out, he gave up a single to Ronald Acuña Jr. and walked Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies to load the bases. But Snell escaped with just one run scored, on a grounder up the middle from Dubón. Shortstop Mookie Betts made a diving stop but had no chance at throwing out Dubón.
Snell then struck out Sean Murphy to end the inning, finishing the at-bat with three straight curveballs for strikes.
The one-run deficit could be erased. But the damage on his pitch count, up to 27 in that first inning, was done.
Snell surrendered just one more hit, but when he issued his fifth walk with two outs in the fourth inning, his pitch count was up to 90. Manager Dave Roberts strode from the dugout to pull him.
“He just was fighting himself with his delivery all game,” Roberts said, saying the groin injury that limited Snell in late September had not resurfaced. “I think in total, didn’t have fastball command, didn’t have slider command, and the changeup wasn’t there. He was pulling it.”
In the bottom half of the inning, Freeman, who was optimistic that he could shake off his September slump over the bye week, tied the score with a homer. But sloppy play extended the fifth inning and put the Dodgers in a hole again.
With two outs, in an 0-and-2 count, Bubic got Harris to chase an outside sweeper moving away from him. Harris leaned over to get his bat out to it and sent a line drive into the left field corner.
The Dodgers’ Teoscar Hernández took a circuitous route to the ball and still missed by only inches. It caromed off the wall, allowing Harris to reach third base, in position to score on Bubic’s wild pitch.
“I didn’t think he hit it that good,” Hernández said. “I didn’t break in, but I broke to the side, and then when I realized, it was too late. Maybe I had a shot on it.”
The Dodgers had a chance at a comeback as soon as they were at bat again. But after they got two runners on against left-hander Dylan Lee, the Braves turned to Robert Suarez. He and Fuentes combined to retire 14 straight — a streak Max Muncy finally broke by hitting a homer with two outs in the ninth inning.
“It showed that they’re going to use any pitcher, try to get every matchup possible,” Roberts said. “ Obviously them pushing Fuentes to almost four innings, 40-something pitches, shows they’re going to ride certain guys.”
Max Muncy celebrates while crossing home plate after a solo home run during the ninth inning Sunday. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
While the Dodgers have a deeper rotation, the bullpen advantage goes to the Braves.
The Braves expanded their lead in the seventh inning against hard-throwing right-hander Edgardo Henriquez, who gave up a single to Olson and an RBI double to Harris.
Then right-hander Roki Sasaki got himself into a bases-loaded situation in the eighth, with Acuña at the plate, but got out of it with a double play. Sasaki then retired the side in order in the ninth.
Next, the series heads to Atlanta for two games. And Game 3 will be a matchup of two aces, Chris Sale for the Braves and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers.
No longer is everything stacked in the Dodgers’ favor.
Said Hernández: “We’ve been in tougher spots than this one.”
Oct 4, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Didier Fuentes (72) celebrates with catcher Drake Baldwin (30) after the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game two of the NLDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Walt Weiss and the Braves’ staff made the bold decision to hold off ace Chris Sale from Game 2 of Atlanta’s National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday night.
If they could manage to win without throwing their top two starters, they would head back to Atlanta tied at 1 with Sale and Tyler Mahle lined up to start the two home games in the series.
But by doing so, they would be throwing a third straight bullpen game and reducing their chances of winning Game 2.
The bold move paid off as six relievers combined to hold down the Dodgers’ bats and the Atlanta offense did just enough to eke out a 3-2 win in Los Angeles, sending the best-of-five series back to Atlanta level at one win apiece.
For a time, it looked like Didier Fuentes, who had an up-and-down wild-card series, was going to carry the final four innings himself. He entered in the bottom of the sixth and retired the first 11 batters he faced to protect a 3-1 lead before Max Muncy hit a solo homer off him with two outs in the ninth to cut the deficit to one run.
Raisel Iglesias came out of the bullpen and got the final out, getting Josue De Paula to pop out in foul territory to close out the win.
The win didn’t have to be as stressful as it proved to be for the Braves, who stranded 11 runners on base.
The Braves had Dodgers starter Blake Snell on the ropes in the first inning, loading the bases with one out on Ronald Acuña Jr.’s single followed by consecutive walks from Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies. Atlanta did plate the first run of the game on Mauricio Dubón’s infield single with two outs. But Sean Murphy’s strikeout prevented the Braves from putting up a crooked number.
Ray Kerr did the opener job for the second time in four days, delivering 2 2/3 innings of scoreless work to run his total to six shutout innings on just three hits over his first two postseason starts. He struck out two in a 1-2-3 first and then navigated a leadoff Freddie Freeman single in the second.
He ran into some trouble with Miguel Rojas’ leadoff double in the third but recorded two outs around a walk and then was replaced by Grant Holmes, who got Will Smith to ground out to third on his first pitch to end the threat.
Holmes didn’t carry that same success into the fourth, when old friend Freddie Freeman led off with a game-tying solo homer. The Dodgers chased Holmes after he got just two outs after a single followed by a walk, but Dylan Lee entered the game, struck out Max Muncy and got Tommy Edman to pop out to escape another threat with the game tied at 1.
The Braves reclaimed the lead in the next half-inning, when Michael Harris II delivered a two-out triple just over Teoscar Hernandez’s glove down the left field line and came home on Kris Bubic’s wild pitch.
The Dodgers appeared poised to again tie the game or take the lead when they put the first two runners of the fifth on base against Lee. Robert Suarez entered, however, and retired the next two batters on flyouts before striking out Hernandez to escape with the lead intact.
Los Angeles finished 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, stranding seven runners.
Harris then added onto the lead with his third hit in the seventh, an RBI double to score Olson, leaving him a homer short of the cycle.
That run proved critical when Muncy hit his second homer in as many games of this series to chase Fuentes. But Iglesias needed just three pitches to retire De Paula and close out a highly improbable — and quite possibly series-altering — win for the Braves.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 04: Teoscar Hernández #37 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after striking out during the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves in game two of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 04, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — Turns out, Sunday was a bullpen game for both teams at Dodger Stadium, whether by design or not. But the Dodgers managed only two runs against six Braves pitchers in a slog of a game and a 3-2 loss to even the National League Division Series at one game apiece.
Blake Snell did not have it in his start, and in retrospect it was a minor miracle he left with only one run against his ledger. His first inning took 27 pitches with two singles, two walks, and a run, but he escaped with by striking out Sean Murphy.
After allowing two-out baserunners in the second and third innings with no damage, Snell regressed in the fourth with two more walks, giving him a season-high five walks on the evening. It’s the most walks by Snell in a start since August 24, 2024, when he walked six while with the San Francisco Giants.
But all that traffic meant 90 pitches for Snell to get just 11 outs, with nearly as many balls (43) as strikes (47).
Brock Stewart got the final out of the fourth inning to strand those two runners left by Snell. That started the bullpen game that the Dodgers very much were not expecting.
A rarity
Left-hander Kris Bubic, acquired at the trade deadline from the Kansas City Royals while on the 60-day injured list, is a starting pitcher and former All-Star who has pitched in relief through his rehab assignment and into the majors because that’s where the need arose in Los Angeles. It has mostly worked swimmingly, through six rehab outings in Triple-A and five games with the Dodgers down the stretch.
Bubic’s 12th appearance in the organization came to start the fifth inning, and he got the first two outs before Michael Harris II hit a ball into the left field corner that Teoscar Hernández played into a triple. That was the first extra-base hit Bubic allowed during those 12 games, with Harris his 43rd batter faced. Nobody had yet scored against Bubic either in 11 innings, until he uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Harris to scamper home with the go-ahead run.
Déjà vu
For the second straight game, the Dodgers failed to score against the first pitcher in a Braves bullpen game. After Dylan Dodd pitched three scoreless innings to open Game 1, fellow southpaw Ray Kerr got the first eight outs on Sunday and kept the Dodgers from scoring.
Miguel Rojas, who hit .293/.240/.469 with a 121 wRC+ against left-handers this season, got the start at third base and paid dividends in the form of a leadoff double off Kerr in the third inning. But that rally was neutered by Tommy Edman, a switch-hitter with a career 118 wRC+ against southpaws, attempted a bunt for some reason but instead popped out to Austin Riley at third base. Then Shohei Ohtani continued his expedition outside the strike zone before popping out weakly.
Once again, the Dodgers scored against the first Braves reliever, and did so again via the long ball. Freddie Freeman took Holmes deep in the fourth to tie the game at 1-1, Freeman’s first home run since September 2, snapping a skid of 85 plate appearances without one. Before that, Freeman went 47 full games and 196 plate appearances without a homer. A good chunk of that time had Freeman plagued by a right knee injury, though Freeman over the final week of the season insisted the knee got healthy, but he had developed bad habits with his swing that he tried to correct over the five days off before the NLDS.
Through two games of the NLDS, Freeman has gotten three hits, and scored in each contest.
Rough first game back
Edgardo Henriquez was one of the Dodgers’ best relievers this season, but he spent the last two weeks of the regular season on the injured list with lower back discomfort. He entered the seventh inning on Sunday with the Dodgers trailing 2-1. The stuff looked good in Henriquez’s first game in three weeks, well into triple digits with his fastball, but lefties Matt Olson got and Harris tagged Henriquez for hits, with Harris delivering a two-out double to score Olson from first base, widening Atlanta’s advantage to 3-1.
Starring performance
The Dodgers had their chances on offense, putting eight runners on base in the first five innings. But only one of them scored, thanks to seven hitless at-bats with runners in scoring position. 21-year-old Braves right-hander Didier Fuentes simply fixed that glitch for Atlanta, and didn’t permit any Dodgers to reach base at all in his first three innings, and even pitched into the ninth, getting two more outs. Then he gave up a home run to Max Muncy, pulling the Dodgers within one and pulling Fuentes from the game, robbing the world of the second four-inning save of this postseason.
Fuentes threw 47 pitches to record his 11 outs and struck out three Dodgers, after a 31-percent strikeout rate to fuel his 2.45 ERA in 73 1/3 innings during the regular season.
Muncy’s home run brought in Raisel Iglesias, the Braves’ closer, and brought pinch-hitter Josue De Paula to the plate as the potential tying run. It was the first major league postseason at-bat for the 21-year-old De Paula, but he popped out in four territory to end the game with the Dodgers just short.
The Dodgers turn to Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 3 in Atlanta on Tuesday night (3:08 p.m. PT, FS1), while the Braves will have ace Chris Sale rested and ready to start after a pair of Atlanta bullpen games to open the series.
The unexpected twist: The Dodgers essentially had to do the same thing, as well.
After a rather straightforward victory in the opening game of this best-of-five series, nothing went according to plan for the Dodgers on Sunday.
Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. celebrates with teammates after scoring off an RBI single by Mauricio Dubón during the first inning of Game 2 of a National League Division Series baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Blake Snell failed to complete four innings, grinding through poor command and long at-bats in a start that included only one run but also five walks.
The relief corps was saddled with a heavy workload, turning another sweltering night at Chavez Ravine into a sweat-inducing battle of the bullpens.
And after the Dodgers gift-wrapped the Braves a run in the fifth inning, when Teoscar Hernández turned a fly ball down the line into a triple and Kris Bubic threw a run-scoring wild pitch, the two-time defending champions found themselves on the back foot for the first time this fall.
In a 3-2 loss, they wouldn’t recover.
Instead, a series the Dodgers seemed to have under control coming into Sunday has quickly been flipped on its head.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Max Muncy hits a solo home run against the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning. Wally Skalij for CA Post
The Braves’ decision to save staff ace Chris Sale for Game 3 –– the highly-debated pre-game talking point –– now looks prescient. The Dodgers’ decision to start Snell in Game 2, and not Yoshinobu Yamamoto, might now be questionable.
And while the Braves had to burn through the heart of their bullpen, using six different arms to piece together 27 outs, so too did the Dodgers, who summoned six relievers of their own in a losing effort.
With Game 3 set for Tuesday night back in Atlanta, this 1-1 series suddenly appears to be up for grabs.
“We knew it was going to be a battle,” manager Dave Roberts said. “We knew those guys weren’t going to go down.”
Still, it’s hard not to feel like what really happened Sunday was the Dodgers letting a previously dazed Braves squad climb back off the mat.
“I felt really good where we were at,” Roberts added. “We just couldn’t execute as the game progressed.”
Atlanta Braves Michael Harris celebrates his triple against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth inning. Wally Skalij for CA Post
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Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani watches from the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the fourth inning of Game 2 of the NLDS in Los Angeles, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. Wally Skalij for CA Post
Really, the Dodgers were behind from the start on Sunday, with Snell –– who had previously pitched just five innings since Sept. 11 because of a groin injury, yet got the nod for Game 2 to remain on his regular pitching schedule –– giving up a quick run in the first.
The Braves loaded the bases with one out, on a single from Ronald Acuña Jr. and two walks from Snell. Mauricio Dubón got a run home on an infield knock, sending a ground ball deep into the hole at shortstop that Mookie Betts fielded but made an errant throw to first on.
Snell ultimately limited the damage there, but required 27 pitches in doing so. By the time he was pulled with two outs in the fourth, that total had already ballooned to 90.
“He just was fighting himself with his delivery all game,” Roberts said of Snell, who was not in the Dodgers’ clubhouse postgame because of what the team said was a family matter. “It wasn’t the groin. He just wasn’t sharp tonight.”
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell comes out of the game against the Atlanta Braves in the fourth inning of Game 2 of the NLDS Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. Wally Skalij for CA Post
The bigger problem was the Dodgers’ inability to get to the Braves’ bullpen, starting with left-handed opener Ray Kerr.
Showing no signs of fatigue just two days removed from a heroic 47-pitch outing in Game 3 of the wild-card series, Kerr gave Atlanta unexpected length.
The former minor-league journeyman worked all the way into the third without damage. He struck out four batters. He even got Shohei Ohtani out twice, including on a first-inning punchout with an inside fastball.
“I think with Shohei, if you look at the at-bats, there’s a lot of chase,” Roberts said of Ohtani, who has managed just two singles so far this series while continuing to play through right arm and left knee injuries.
“I haven’t heard anything other than he feels fine [physically]. So I don’t know if he’s trying to do too much because he doesn’t feel perfect. But this time of year, no one feels perfect. He’s doing the best he can.”
Trouble was brewing in Kerr’s final frame, after Miguel Rojas –– inserted into the starting lineup in place of Max Muncy to counteract the southpaw –– roped a full-count curveball down the line for a leadoff double.
But, in a maddening sequence of situational ineffectiveness, the Dodgers couldn’t take advantage.
Tommy Edman popped up on a bunt, as part of a second-straight hitless performance. Ohtani popped out on another chase, after missing a center-cut pitch earlier in the at-bat. Will Smith rolled over on a first-pitch slider, contributing to his team-worst 0-for-8 mark this weekend.
“We had opportunities,” Roberts said. “We just couldn’t get a hit when we needed to.”
It would become the theme of the night, with the Dodgers going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position while stranding seven men on base.
So far this series, all seven of their runs have come via homers.
“Got to find a way to score some runs without hitting a home run,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “I think that’s our biggest thing right now.”
Atlanta Braves pitcher Ray Kerr throws during the first inning. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Freeman did hit a home run in the bottom of the fourth –– a positive sign after belting just one in his final 66 regular-season games while battling a right knee injury –– lifting a low slider from right-hander Grant Holmes over the wall in right to tie the score at 1-1.
But there would be another missed chance later in the inning, with high-leverage Atlanta left-hander Dylan Lee stranding a pair of runners, before the Dodgers fell right back behind in the fifth on the miscues from Hernández and Bubic.
Off the bat, Hernández appeared to have a bead on a slicing opposite-field, two-out line drive from Michael Harris II. But the ball kept drifting away from him, evading his outstretched glove before rattling around in the corner for a triple.
“I didn’t break in, but I broke to the side [instead of straight back]. And then when I realized, it was too late,” Hernández said. “I still thought I had a shot at it, but it just kept carrying.”
Three pitches later, Bubic airmailed a sweeper that catcher Will Smith couldn’t handle. The self-inflicted wound left the Dodgers trailing again, 2-1.
“I just lost it out of hand,” Bubic said. “It’s never an ideal situation, but especially with a runner on third there.”
From then on, the rest of the game was a frustrating grind, with the Dodgers facing one stout reliever after the next.
In the bottom of the fifth, hard-throwing right-hander Robert Suarez inherited a two-on, no-out jam but escaped unscathed, ending the inning on a 50/50 check swing call that went against Hernández.
After that, another rocket-armed righty, 21-year-old Didier Fuentes, went nine up, nine down over three scoreless innings –– all while the Braves extended their lead on a two-out RBI double Harris smacked against a dead-red cutter from Edgardo Henriquez in the seventh.
“Bullpen games are hard,” Freeman said. “You’re facing a different arm every single time you’re going up there. It’s different angles, different velocities, different things.”
Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernandez cannot reach the ball on a triple by Atlanta Braves’ Michael Harris in the fifth inning of Game 2 of the NLDS Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. Wally Skalij for CA Post
The last arm the Dodgers faced wouldn’t come until two outs in the ninth, after the Braves sent Fuentes back to the mound for a fourth inning of work, watched him finally give up a home run to Muncy, then summoned veteran closer Raisel Iglesias for the final out.
That came way of pinch-hitting rookie phenom Josue De Paula, who popped up in foul ground right in front of the Dodgers’ dugout for the final out.
They trudged back to the clubhouse, while the Braves reveled in an unforeseen win.
“Getting the split in this place against these guys, yeah, it’s awesome,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “We’re in a good position. We’ve got Chris Sale lined up.”
Indeed, the Dodgers have now squandered their home-field advantage. They no longer hold a clear pitching edge, either.
Sale (who shut out the Dodgers in August) will face Yamamoto in an epic –– and pivotal –– Game 3 showdown. Tyler Mahle (who had a sub-2.00 ERA after a deadline trade to the Braves) and Tyler Glasnow are scheduled for Game 4.
“We all knew it was going to be a good series,” Freeman insisted.
It’s just that, it seemed like it would be a whole lot easier for the Dodgers given the state of play at the start of the day.
“We know what’s at stake on Tuesday,” Freeman said. “We need to get that win.”
for game 
”. 
