Our Los Angeles Dodgers vs Atlanta Braves preview covers the odds, run line, total, probable pitchers, first pitch time, TV channel and where to watch for Game 3 of the National League Division Series (NLDS) on Tuesday, October 6, 2026. The No. 2-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers (100-62) and the No. 3-seeded Atlanta Braves (94-68) meet at Truist Park in Atlanta, Ga., where the best-of-five series is tied 1-1. First pitch is 6:00 PM ET (3:00 PM PT). TV: FS1 / FOX One.
Division Series storyline: Los Angeles won Game 1 5-3 behind Tarik Skubal, and Atlanta answered with a 3-2 win in Game 2 behind six relievers and two extra-base hits from Michael Harris II. The best-of-five series is tied 1-1 as it shifts to Truist Park for the next two games. MLB.com noted that in postseason history, the Game 3 winner of a best-of-five series tied 1-1 has gone on to win the series 48 of 67 times. Atlanta won five of the six regular-season meetings, including a 1-0 win on Aug. 27 at Truist Park in which Sale threw a five-hit shutout against Yamamoto. The probable pitchers are Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers and Chris Sale for the Braves. DraftKings lists the Braves at -111 on the moneyline and the Dodgers at -108, with the total at 6.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs Atlanta Braves Odds, Run Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Los Angeles Dodgers @ Atlanta Braves |
|---|---|
| Series | National League Division Series (NLDS), Game 3 — best-of-five, 2-2-1 format |
| Series Score | Series tied 1-1. Game 1: Dodgers won 5-3 (Saturday, Oct. 3). Game 2: Braves won 3-2 (Sunday, Oct. 4). Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 6, 6 PM ET at Truist Park; Game 4: Wednesday, Oct. 7, 6 PM ET at Truist Park; Game 5 (if necessary): Friday, Oct. 9, 8 PM ET at Dodger Stadium |
| Seeds | Los Angeles Dodgers No. 2 | Atlanta Braves No. 3 (NL) |
| 2026 Records | Los Angeles Dodgers 100-62 (49-32 on the road) | Atlanta Braves 94-68 (52-29 at home) |
| How They Got Here | Dodgers: First-round bye as NL West champion and No. 2 seed | Braves: Beat the No. 6 Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 in the NL Wild Card Series (5-3, 3-4 in 10 innings, 6-2) |
| Run Line | Dodgers -1.5 (+161) | Braves +1.5 (-196) |
| Moneyline | Los Angeles Dodgers: -108 | Atlanta Braves: -111 |
| Total | O/U 6 (Over -116 / Under -104) |
| Probable Pitchers | Dodgers: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (RHP, 14-9, 2.53 ERA, 28 GS, 185.0 IP, 182 K, 42 BB, 0.87 WHIP; 2026 postseason debut) | Braves: Chris Sale (LHP, 14-9, 2.16 ERA, 27 GS, 162.2 IP, 200 K, 31 BB, 0.98 WHIP; 3.52 ERA in two 2026 postseason games) |
| Managers | Los Angeles Dodgers: Dave Roberts | Atlanta Braves: Walt Weiss |
| Venue | Truist Park (Atlanta, Ga.) |
| Date / Time | Tuesday, October 6, 2026 — 6:00 PM ET (3:00 PM PT) |
| TV / How to Watch | FS1 / FOX One (Spanish: FOX Deportes) |
| 2026 Season Series | Braves won the 2026 season series 5-1 |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, 10:53 PM ET. Opening line: Dodgers -102 / Braves -118, total 6.5. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before first pitch.
Dodgers vs Braves NLDS Series Context
Format: The NLDS is a best-of-five series in a 2-2-1 format. Games 1 and 2 were at Dodger Stadium, Games 3 and 4 are at Truist Park in Atlanta, and a deciding Game 5 would return to Los Angeles. The full schedule is in the table above (MLB Stats API).
Game 1 recap: Tarik Skubal allowed one run on two hits over six innings with seven strikeouts, and the Dodgers won 5-3 at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. Teoscar Hernández hit a two-run homer off Victor Mederos (L) in the fourth, and Kyle Tucker (two-run) and Max Muncy (solo) homered off AJ Smith-Shawver in the sixth. Sean Murphy and Ozzie Albies homered for Atlanta, which finished with four hits and went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, and Evan Phillips got the final out for the save (MLB Stats API box score).
Game 2 recap: Atlanta evened the series with a 3-2 win at Dodger Stadium on Sunday night in a bullpen game opened by left-hander Ray Kerr (2 2/3 scoreless innings, 4 K). Mauricio Dubón’s two-out, bases-loaded infield single in the first scored Ronald Acuña Jr., and Freddie Freeman tied it with a leadoff homer off Grant Holmes in the fourth. Michael Harris II tripled with two outs in the fifth and scored on a wild pitch by Kris Bubic (L), then added an RBI double off Edgardo Henriquez in the seventh. Blake Snell lasted 3 2/3 innings (1 R, 5 BB, 5 K, 90 pitches), his shortest postseason start since 2022 (AP). After Dylan Lee (W) and Robert Suarez, 21-year-old Didier Fuentes retired nine straight batters from the sixth through the eighth and recorded 11 outs on 47 pitches; Max Muncy’s two-out homer in the ninth made it 3-2 before Raisel Iglesias got pinch-hitter Josue De Paula to pop out for the save (MLB Stats API box score, ESPN).
How they got here: Atlanta beat Philadelphia in three Wild Card games, clinching 6-2 on Oct. 1 as Kerr opened with 3 1/3 scoreless innings and Sale recorded the final four outs. Los Angeles went 8-2 in its last 10 regular-season games before a first-round bye (MLB Stats API).
Head-to-head: Atlanta went 5-1 against Los Angeles in 2026 and outscored the Dodgers 26-15. The Dodgers won 3-1 at Dodger Stadium on May 8, the Braves won 7-2 on May 9 and May 10, and Atlanta swept three at Truist Park on Aug. 25-27 (4-3, 6-5 and 1-0) (MLB Stats API). Freeman, who played for Atlanta from 2010 to 2021, is 3-for-7 with a homer against his former club in this series (MLB.com).
Los Angeles Dodgers Preview: NLDS Game 3
Season in review: Manager Dave Roberts‘s two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers went 100-62 and won the NL West, including 51-30 at home and 49-32 on the road. 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). Shohei Ohtani led the club with 30 homers and an .889 OPS, and Andy Pages drove in a team-high 85 runs (MLB Stats API team leaders).
Lineup notes: MLB.com reported the Dodgers could stack right-handed hitters higher against the left-handed Sale and might give Kiké Hernández his first start of the postseason at third base, moving Miguel Rojas to second. Its projected lineup: Mookie Betts (SS), Ohtani (DH), Will Smith (C), Freeman (1B), Teoscar Hernández (LF), Tucker (RF), Pages (CF), Rojas (2B) and Kiké Hernández (3B). Muncy, who has homered in both games, came off the bench in Game 2 (MLB Stats API). Pages (0-for-7) and Tommy Edman (0-for-5) are still looking for their first hits this postseason (MLB.com).
Bullpen and injuries: MLB.com reported nearly every Dodgers reliever will be available after Monday’s off day, with the possible exception of Roki Sasaki (two scoreless innings, 36 pitches in Game 2). Ohtani (right biceps, left knee) and Freeman (right knee) are managing lingering injuries, Will Klein (right elbow) has not pitched in a game since July 31, and Blake Treinen (right shoulder inflammation) is unlikely to pitch this postseason (MLB.com). ESPN lists RHPs Gavin Stone, Ben Casparius, Brusdar Graterol and Jake Cousins on the 60-day IL.
Atlanta Braves Preview: NLDS Game 3
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). Matt Olson led the club with 41 homers, Harris hit .294, and Iglesias had 34 saves (MLB Stats API team leaders).
Lineup and who’s hot: Atlanta has faced a left-handed starter in four of its first five postseason games, and MLB.com noted Drake Baldwin, Olson and Harris now get a right-hander. Its projected lineup: Baldwin (DH), Acuña (RF), Olson (1B), Harris (CF), Albies (2B), Dubón (SS), Mike Yastrzemski (LF), Austin Riley (3B) and Murphy (C). Harris has two three-hit games this postseason and is 8-for-20, while Acuña (3-for-18, no extra-base hits) and Olson (3-for-19, seven strikeouts) have been quieter (MLB.com).
Pitching and injuries: Coming off the off day, Iglesias, Suarez and Lee are available, while Fuentes and Kerr are not after each threw more than 40 pitches Sunday (MLB.com). RHP Bryce Elder (right knee surgery) and LHP Martín Pérez (lower back) are not available in this series (MLB.com). ESPN also lists RHP Reynaldo López (right shoulder, 15-day IL) and RHP Joe Jiménez (knee, 60-day IL), and it lists Mahle as day-to-day with abdominal soreness.
Starting Pitchers: Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs Chris Sale
Dodgers: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (RHP). The reigning World Series MVP makes his 2026 postseason debut. He went 14-9 with a 2.53 ERA in 28 starts, with 182 strikeouts, 42 walks, a 0.87 WHIP (second among qualified MLB starters, per MLB.com) and a .182 opponents’ average in 185 innings (MLB Stats API). He posted a 1.77 ERA in 12 road starts. His last outing was Sept. 23 against San Diego (6 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 4 K), so Tuesday comes 13 days after his previous game appearance (MLB Stats API game log). Against Atlanta on Aug. 27 at Truist Park he allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts and one walk and took the 1-0 loss. In his career he is 7-1 with a 2.25 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 56 postseason innings (10 games, nine starts), and in the 2025 World Series he became the first Dodgers pitcher with three wins in a single Fall Classic, closing out Game 7 with 2 2/3 scoreless innings on zero days’ rest (MLB Stats API, MLB.com).
Braves: Chris Sale (LHP). The 37-year-old went 14-9 with a 2.16 ERA (third-best in MLB) in 27 starts, with 200 strikeouts, 31 walks, a 0.98 WHIP and a .215 opponents’ average in 162 2/3 innings, and MLB.com noted a 1.96 ERA over his final 24 regular-season starts (MLB Stats API). He posted a 1.66 ERA in 14 home starts. This postseason he allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series on Sept. 29, then recorded the final four outs of the Oct. 1 clincher on 21 pitches (MLB Stats API). Atlanta started Kerr in Game 2 to give Sale extra rest; he works on five days’ rest Tuesday. “We want full-strength Chris Sale,” Weiss said. “We’ve given him extra rest all year, and it’s served him very well” (NBC Los Angeles). Against Los Angeles this season Sale went 1-1 with two earned runs in 16 innings and 18 strikeouts, including a 109-pitch, 11-strikeout shutout on Aug. 27 (MLB Stats API, MLB.com). His career postseason line is 1-3 with a 5.83 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings over 12 games (eight starts) (MLB Stats API).
Key Matchup Notes: Dodgers vs Braves Game 3
- August rematch: Sale and Yamamoto last met Aug. 27 at Truist Park, when Atlanta won 1-0 on Baldwin’s leadoff homer. Sale threw a five-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts, and Yamamoto allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings (MLB Stats API, MLB.com). DraftKings lists the Game 3 total at 6.
- Home runs and RISP: All seven Dodgers runs in the series have come on homers (Teoscar Hernández, Tucker, Muncy twice and Freeman), and Los Angeles is 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Atlanta is 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, and three of its six runs came on homers by Murphy and Albies in Game 1 (MLB Stats API box scores).
- Pitch counts: In Game 2, Atlanta used Kerr (42 pitches), Holmes (17), Lee (14), Suarez (15), Fuentes (47) and Iglesias (3). Los Angeles followed Snell (90) with Brock Stewart (2), Bubic (17), Phillips (4), Edwin Díaz (12), Henriquez (21) and Sasaki (36) (MLB Stats API).
How to Watch Los Angeles Dodgers vs Atlanta Braves – NLDS Game 3
Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2026
First pitch: 6:00 PM ET (3:00 PM PT)
Venue: Truist Park, Atlanta, Ga.
TV / Streaming: FS1 and FOX One, with Spanish-language coverage on FOX Deportes (MLB Stats API, MLB.com). In the U.S., the game is also available on MLB.TV with authentication to a participating pay-TV provider, and Sportsnet carries it in Canada (MLB.com).
The series winner advances to the NLCS against the winner of the Brewers-Padres NLDS. Game 4 is Wednesday, Oct. 7 at Truist Park, where MLB.com reported Atlanta has Tyler Mahle lined up to start, and a deciding Game 5, if necessary, would be Friday, Oct. 9 at Dodger Stadium. Check the run line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 6, 2026 first pitch, and look for official lineups closer to game time.