MLB Baseball
2026-10-06 - Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : MLB Playoff Divisional Round Game 3
Tuesday 6th October 2026 - Scheduled 6pm EST
11pm (British Time)
Preview
Winning consecutive World Series meant the Los Angeles Dodgers entered 2026 as the favourite to 'three-peat', but they have lost home field advantage in the Divisional Round of the Playoffs. Perhaps most concerning is that the Dodgers lost Game 2 against the Atlanta Braves bullpen and they go into Game 3 facing the best starter the National League East Winners have on the roster.
Chris Sale has already shown his worth with two solid performances in the Wild Card Round and one of those was out of the bullpen. That did mean the Braves could not afford to risk Chris Sale in the second game of this Divisional Round Series, but the gamble has paid off with the team still able to return home with a win apiece and with two home games to come.
The Braves will feel they have matched up pretty well with the powerful two time defending Champions having won six of the eight games between the teams in 2026.
However, the experience of the Dodgers means there will be no panic and Los Angeles will be convinced the depth of the starting rotation will give them the edge overall.
They will be facing a veteran in Chris Sale who had a very strong regular season and who allowed three runs in just under 8 Innings thrown in the Wild Card win over Divisional rivals Philadelphia Phillies. The 5.83 ERA in twelve Playoff games has to be something of a concern, but Chris Sale is back in the post-season for the first time in five years and he will take confidence from the two performances against the Dodgers in the regular season.
He allowed two earned runs in 7 Innings thrown on the road, but Chris Sale was even better in the home start having thrown all 9 Innings without giving up a run.
Chris Sale out-duelled Yoshinobu Yamamoto in that home start, but the Dodgers pitcher managed to move into the 7th Inning before being withdrawn having allowed a single run. This is part of another strong season put together by the starting pitcher and the Dodgers will have a lot of confidence in Yoshinobu Yamamoto after his memorable Playoff performances in 2025.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto put together a 5-1 record in his six appearances and had a 1.45 ERA, whilst also throwing a couple of Completed Games. His first ever Playoff performance was a rough one in 2024 when Yamamoto was knocked around for five runs in 3 Innings thrown against the San Diego Padres, but he has been a dominant figure in the next eight appearances in the post-season.
He will be looking for some run support in what looks to be a pivotal third game as this Series becomes a best of three between two Divisional Winners.
Prediction
This could be a really tense night in Atlanta with both the Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers likely anticipating a tough evening for the batting lineups.
In a race to three wins, every moment becomes that much bigger and it could all come down to one or two big Hits to give one of these teams momentum.
Both starting pitchers have been operating at a high level, although the feeling is that the narrow edge deserves to be with a rested Yoshinobu Yamamoto who has thrived under Playoff pressure.
Chris Sale is experienced and should be rested after being saved for Game 3, but he will need to be a little tighter than he was when allowing the Phillies three runs in his Wild Card start.
We have seen that from Sale when facing the Dodgers this season and even this very short total line may not be surpassed with the pitchers both expected to go deep.
The Pick :
Atlanta Braves 2-1 Los Angeles Dodgers
