Our Atlanta Braves vs Los Angeles Dodgers preview covers the odds, run line, total, probable pitchers, first pitch time, TV channel and where to watch for Game 1 of the National League Division Series (NLDS) on Saturday, October 3, 2026. The No. 3-seeded Atlanta Braves (94-68) and the No. 2-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers (100-62) open the best-of-five series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. First pitch is 4:00 PM ET (1:00 PM PT). TV: FOX / FOX One.
Division Series storyline: Atlanta reached the NLDS by beating Philadelphia 6-2 in Thursday night’s winner-take-all Game 3 at Truist Park. The two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers went 100-62, won the NL West and had a first-round bye. Atlanta won five of the six regular-season meetings. The Braves’ probable pitcher is TBD (not yet announced; the MLB Stats API lists no probable), and Tarik Skubal is the probable for the Dodgers. DraftKings lists the Dodgers at -230 on the moneyline and the Braves at +187, with the total at 8.5.
Atlanta Braves vs Los Angeles Dodgers Odds, Run Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Atlanta Braves @ Los Angeles Dodgers |
|---|---|
| Series | National League Division Series (NLDS), Game 1 — best-of-five, 2-2-1 format |
| Series Score | Series begins (0-0). Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 4, 8 PM ET at Dodger Stadium; Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 6, 6 PM ET at Truist Park; Game 4 (if necessary): Wednesday, Oct. 7, 6 PM ET at Truist Park; Game 5 (if necessary): Friday, Oct. 9, 8 PM ET at Dodger Stadium |
| Seeds | Atlanta Braves No. 3 | Los Angeles Dodgers No. 2 (NL) |
| 2026 Records | Atlanta Braves 94-68 (42-39 on the road) | Los Angeles Dodgers 100-62 (51-30 at home) |
| How They Got Here | Braves: Beat the No. 6 Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 in the NL Wild Card Series (5-3, 3-4 in 10 innings, 6-2) | Dodgers: First-round bye as NL West champion and No. 2 seed |
| Run Line | Braves +1.5 (-110) | Dodgers -1.5 (-110) |
| Moneyline | Atlanta Braves: +187 | Los Angeles Dodgers: -230 |
| Total | O/U 8.5 (Over -102 / Under -118) |
| Probable Pitchers | Braves: TBD (not announced as of Friday night) | Dodgers: Tarik Skubal (LHP, 12-7, 2.72 ERA, 26 GS, 158.2 IP, 186 K, 27 BB, 0.96 WHIP; DET 7-5, 2.79 in 16 GS; LAD 5-2, 2.61 in 10 GS) |
| Managers | Atlanta Braves: Walt Weiss | Los Angeles Dodgers: Dave Roberts |
| Venue | UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles, Calif.) |
| Date / Time | Saturday, October 3, 2026 — 4:00 PM ET (1:00 PM PT) |
| TV / How to Watch | FOX / FOX One |
| 2026 Season Series | Braves won the 2026 season series 5-1 |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, 7:33 PM PT. Opening line: Braves +142 / Dodgers -173, total 7.5. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before first pitch.
Braves vs Dodgers NLDS Series Context
Format: The NLDS is a best-of-five series in a 2-2-1 format. Games 1 and 2 are at Dodger Stadium, Games 3 and 4 shift to Truist Park in Atlanta, and a deciding Game 5 would return to Los Angeles. Remaining schedule (times ET): Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 4, 8 PM ET at Dodger Stadium; Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 6, 6 PM ET at Truist Park; Game 4 (if necessary): Wednesday, Oct. 7, 6 PM ET at Truist Park; Game 5 (if necessary): Friday, Oct. 9, 8 PM ET at Dodger Stadium (MLB Stats API).
How the Braves got here: Atlanta won Game 1 of the Wild Card Series 5-3 and lost Game 2 4-3 in 10 innings before winning Game 3 6-2 on Thursday night. In Game 3, left-hander Ray Kerr opened with 3 1/3 innings of one-hit ball, Grant Holmes (W) followed with two innings, and Chris Sale recorded the final four outs. Michael Harris II hit a three-run homer, Ozzie Albies a two-run homer and Matt Olson a solo shot. Aaron Nola took the loss after allowing three runs in 1 2/3 innings (MLB Stats API box score).
How the Dodgers got here: Los Angeles went 100-62, won the NL West and earned the No. 2 seed and a bye. The Dodgers went 8-2 in their last 10 regular-season games and are trying to become the first NL team to win three consecutive World Series (MLB Stats API, ESPN).
Head-to-head: Atlanta went 5-1 against Los Angeles in 2026, winning 7-2 at Dodger Stadium on May 10 and sweeping a three-game series at Truist Park on Aug. 25-27 (4-3, 6-5 and 1-0) (MLB Stats API). Freddie Freeman, who played for Atlanta from 2010 to 2021, faces his former club.
Atlanta Braves Preview: NLDS Game 1
Season in review: Under manager Walt Weiss, the Braves (94-68) won the NL East by six games and earned the NL’s No. 3 seed. They went 52-29 at Truist Park and 42-39 on the road. Atlanta scored 742 runs and allowed 626, hit .246 with a .718 OPS and 204 homers, and posted a 3.63 ERA with 49 saves (MLB Stats API).
Key players: Matt Olson led the club with 41 homers and 93 RBIs. Michael Harris II hit .294 with 26 homers and 87 RBIs, and Drake Baldwin added 25 homers and an .817 OPS. Chris Sale posted a 2.16 ERA and 200 strikeouts, and Raisel Iglesias had 34 saves (MLB Stats API team leaders).
Pitching situation: Sale threw 95 pitches in Wild Card Game 1 and got the final four outs of Game 3, so he will not be available before Game 2. Tyler Mahle will not be available before Game 3. Bryce Elder (knee) and Martín Pérez (back) will not be available in the NLDS (MLB.com).
Injuries: ESPN lists OF Lane Thomas (side, 10-day IL), RHP Reynaldo López (shoulder, 15-day IL), LHP Martín Pérez (back, 15-day IL) and RHP Joe Jiménez (knee, 60-day IL), and lists Mahle as day-to-day (abdomen).
Los Angeles Dodgers Preview: NLDS Game 1
Season in review: Manager Dave Roberts‘s Dodgers went 100-62, including 51-30 at home and 49-32 on the road, and won the NL West. Los Angeles scored 801 runs and allowed 600, hit .257 with a .762 OPS and 204 homers, and posted a 3.55 team ERA with 46 saves (MLB Stats API).
Key players: Shohei Ohtani led the club with 30 homers and an .889 OPS, Max Muncy hit 29 homers, Andy Pages drove in a team-high 85 runs, and Freddie Freeman hit .288. Yoshinobu Yamamoto posted a 2.53 ERA with 182 strikeouts and a .182 opponents’ average, and Tanner Scott led the team with 25 saves (MLB Stats API team leaders). The Dodgers acquired Tarik Skubal from Detroit at the trade deadline for prospects Zyhir Hope, River Ryan and Brady Smith (MLB.com).
Ohtani’s health: Ohtani returned from the injured list late in the season. He said he will not be fully healthy in the playoffs and is managing lingering right biceps, left knee and neck issues (ESPN/AP). MLB.com reported that Roberts has been platooning the leadoff spot, with Ohtani batting first against right-handers and Mookie Betts against left-handers.
Injuries: ESPN lists RHP Gavin Stone (shoulder), RHP Ben Casparius (shoulder), RHP Brusdar Graterol (back), RHP Will Klein (elbow) and RHP Jake Cousins (elbow), all on the 60-day IL.
Starting Pitchers: Braves TBD vs Tarik Skubal
Braves: TBD. Atlanta had not named a Game 1 starter as of Friday night, and the MLB Stats API and ESPN list no probable. MLB.com reported the Braves may use an opener again, with left-hander Brent Suter a top candidate and Dylan Dodd another option, and said Grant Holmes (10-6, 3.44 ERA in the regular season) would likely be available for a bulk role after throwing 28 pitches Thursday. MLB.com’s game preview also listed J.R. Ritchie as a possible option. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman posted on social media that he thinks the Braves will go with a bullpen game with Suter opening.
Dodgers: Tarik Skubal (LHP). The Dodgers named Skubal their Game 1 starter over Yoshinobu Yamamoto (The Athletic via NBC Sports, CBS Sports). The two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner went 12-7 with a 2.72 ERA in 26 starts between Detroit and Los Angeles, with 186 strikeouts, 27 walks and a 0.96 WHIP in 158 2/3 innings. After the trade he was 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 10 starts for the Dodgers. He faced Atlanta once this season, while with Detroit on April 29, and allowed two earned runs in seven innings with seven strikeouts (MLB Stats API). NBC Sports lists his career postseason ERA at 2.04 over 39 2/3 innings.
Key Matchup Notes: Braves vs Dodgers Game 1
- Season series: Atlanta won five of six meetings, including a three-game sweep at Truist Park in late August (MLB Stats API).
- Left-handed openers: MLB.com noted Atlanta could open with a lefty against Ohtani and Freeman near the top of the Dodgers’ lineup, as it did with Kerr against Philadelphia in Game 3.
- Atlanta’s rotation: Sale cannot pitch before Game 2 and Mahle cannot pitch before Game 3, and Elder and Pérez are out for the series (MLB.com).
- Rest: The Braves play two days after a winner-take-all Game 3 and a cross-country trip. The Dodgers have not played since the regular season ended Sept. 27 (MLB Stats API).
- Weather: MLB.com’s preview noted triple-digit heat in the forecast for the afternoon start in Los Angeles.
How to Watch Atlanta Braves vs Los Angeles Dodgers – NLDS Game 1
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026
First pitch: 4:00 PM ET (1:00 PM PT)
Venue: UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, Calif.
TV / Streaming: FOX and FOX One, with Spanish-language coverage on FOX Deportes (MLB Stats API, MLB.com).
The series winner advances to the NLCS against the winner of the Padres-Brewers NLDS. Game 2 is Sunday, Oct. 4 at Dodger Stadium. Check the run line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 3, 2026 first pitch, and look for official lineups closer to game time.