The Atlanta Braves took a 2-0 lead in the National League Division Series Sunday by holding the Los Angeles Dodgers to only two solo home runs, despite a strong starting effort from two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. The Braves used a strategic pitching approach, deploying six relievers, including left-hander Ray Kerr as an opener and right-hander Didier Fuentes for nearly four innings, to stifle the Dodgers’ offense.
Kerr, who had been effective late in the regular season as a long reliever, limited the Dodgers to just two hits—each coming in the early innings—with Freddie Freeman singling in the second and Miguel Rojas doubling to start the third. Both runners were stranded. Kerr’s final batter was Shohei Ohtani, who popped up with two runners on base and one out.
Snell started for the Dodgers and faced trouble early, loading the bases in the first inning but only allowing one run on a ground ball through the middle. Despite escaping further damage early on, Snell’s command deteriorated and he issued five walks through four innings, prompting Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to remove him. Roberts noted that Snell appeared to be struggling with his delivery throughout the game, although he denied that a previous groin injury resurfaced. “He just was fighting himself with his delivery all game,” Roberts said. The pitcher’s pitch count had climbed to 90 by the fourth inning.
The Dodgers briefly tied the game in the bottom of the fourth when Freeman hit a solo homer, marking a hopeful moment after his slump late in the regular season. However, defensive lapses and errant pitching from Edgardo Henriquez in the seventh allowed Atlanta to regain the lead, with Matt Olson and Guillermo Heredia delivering key hits. A notable defensive misstep occurred in the fifth inning when Teoscar Hernández nearly caught a line drive that caromed off the left-field wall, enabling the Braves to extend their advantage.
Atlanta’s bullpen continued to dominate, with relievers Robert Suarez and Fuentes combining to retire 14 consecutive batters at one point, stifling a potential Dodgers rally. Max Muncy finally broke the streak with a two-out home run in the ninth inning, the Dodgers’ only run after Freeman’s earlier homer.
In contrast to the Dodgers’ deeper rotation, the bullpen edge appeared to favor the Braves, who effectively mixed their pitcher usage to neutralize matchups. In the eighth inning, the Braves faced a bases-loaded jam but escaped thanks to Roki Sasaki, who induced a double play and finished by retiring the side in order in the ninth.
The series now shifts to Atlanta for Games 3 and 4. Game 3 will feature a showdown between Braves ace Chris Sale and Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto. While the Dodgers entered the postseason with several advantages, the momentum has swung toward Atlanta after their back-to-back victories. “We’ve been in tougher spots than this one,” Hernández said, signaling the Dodgers’ readiness to fight back.