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 2 of the National League Division Series (NLDS) on Sunday, October 4, 2026. The No. 3-seeded Atlanta Braves (94-68) and the No. 2-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers (100-62) meet again at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif., in the best-of-five series, which the Dodgers lead 1-0. First pitch is 8:00 PM ET (5:00 PM PT). TV: FS1 / FOX One.
Division Series storyline: Los Angeles won Game 1 5-3 on Saturday behind six innings of one-run ball from Tarik Skubal and home runs from Teoscar Hernández, Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy. Atlanta reached the NLDS by beating Philadelphia in a deciding Game 3 of the Wild Card Series, 6-2 at Truist Park on Thursday. 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 probable pitchers are Ray Kerr for the Braves and Blake Snell for the Dodgers. DraftKings lists the Dodgers at -147 on the moneyline and the Braves at +122, with the total at 7.
Atlanta Braves vs Los Angeles Dodgers Odds, Run Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Atlanta Braves @ Los Angeles Dodgers |
|---|---|
| Series | National League Division Series (NLDS), Game 2 — best-of-five, 2-2-1 format |
| Series Score | Dodgers lead 1-0 (Dodgers won Game 1 5-3 on Oct. 3). 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 (-182) | Dodgers -1.5 (+150) |
| Moneyline | Atlanta Braves: +122 | Los Angeles Dodgers: -147 |
| Total | O/U 7 (Over -116 / Under -104) |
| Probable Pitchers | Braves: Ray Kerr (LHP, 0-0, 1.47 ERA, 9 G/1 GS, 18.1 IP, 11 K, 2 BB, 0.60 WHIP) | Dodgers: Blake Snell (LHP, 4-1, 1.90 ERA, 9 GS, 42.2 IP, 55 K, 16 BB, 1.10 WHIP) |
| Managers | Atlanta Braves: Walt Weiss | Los Angeles Dodgers: Dave Roberts |
| Venue | UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles, Calif.) |
| Date / Time | Sunday, October 4, 2026 — 8:00 PM ET (5:00 PM PT) |
| TV / How to Watch | FS1 / FOX One |
| 2026 Season Series | Braves won the 2026 season series 5-1 |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, 1:26 AM ET. Opening line: Braves +124 / Dodgers -149, total 7. 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 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).
Game 1 recap: Tarik Skubal allowed one run on two hits over six innings with seven strikeouts and two walks, and the Dodgers won 5-3 at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. Yahoo Sports reported he retired 15 straight batters between a first-inning single and Sean Murphy’s leadoff homer in the sixth. 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. Ozzie Albies hit a two-run homer off Tanner Scott in the ninth before Evan Phillips got the final out for the save. For Atlanta, opener Dylan Dodd threw three scoreless innings with four strikeouts and Brent Suter added two scoreless innings. The Braves finished with four hits and went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position (MLB Stats API box score).
How they got here: Atlanta won Game 1 of the Wild Card Series 5-3, lost Game 2 4-3 in 10 innings and won Game 3 6-2 on Thursday as Ray Kerr opened with 3 1/3 scoreless innings, Grant Holmes (W) followed and Sale recorded the final four outs. Los Angeles went 100-62, won the NL West, went 8-2 in its last 10 regular-season games and had not played since Sept. 27 before Game 1 (MLB Stats API).
Head-to-head: Atlanta went 5-1 against Los Angeles in 2026. 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). Freddie Freeman, who played for Atlanta from 2010 to 2021, faces his former club.
Atlanta Braves Preview: NLDS Game 2
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. 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, Michael Harris II hit .294, and Raisel Iglesias had 34 saves (MLB Stats API team leaders).
Who’s hot: MLB.com reported Albies is 4-for-12 with two homers and a triple through four postseason games, while Drake Baldwin (3-for-17), Olson (2-for-15) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (2-for-13) have been quieter. Sean Murphy has a double and a homer in his first six postseason at-bats, and Weiss indicated Lane Thomas will get his first start since straining his left intercostal muscle on Sept. 7 (MLB.com).
Pitching and injuries: Iglesias, Didier Fuentes, Dylan Lee and Robert Suarez all enter Sunday with at least two days of rest, and Tyler Mahle will not be available until Game 3 (MLB.com). RHP Bryce Elder (right knee surgery) and LHP Martín Pérez (lower back) will not be available in the series (MLB.com). ESPN also lists RHP Reynaldo López (shoulder, 15-day IL) and RHP Joe Jiménez (knee, 60-day IL).
Los Angeles Dodgers Preview: NLDS Game 2
Season in review: Manager Dave Roberts‘s Dodgers went 100-62 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). 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 that Teoscar Hernández and Tucker carried hot regular-season finishes into Game 1. With left-hander Kerr starting, the Dodgers’ posted Game 2 lineup has Miguel Rojas at third base and Max Muncy out of the lineup: Mookie Betts (SS), Ohtani (DH), Will Smith (C), Freeman (1B), Teoscar Hernández (LF), Tucker (RF), Andy Pages (CF), Rojas (3B) and Tommy Edman (2B) (SI).
Bullpen and injuries: Brock Stewart, Alex Vesia, Scott and Phillips each threw 15 pitches or fewer in Game 1, and MLB.com reported that every Dodgers reliever is rested enough to be available Sunday. 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.
Starting Pitchers: Ray Kerr vs Blake Snell
Braves: Ray Kerr (LHP). Atlanta named the left-handed reliever its Game 2 starter on Sunday and pushed Chris Sale back to Game 3, giving Sale extra rest after he pitched in relief on one day of rest in Thursday’s Wild Card clincher (ESPN). Kerr opened that 6-2 win over Philadelphia with 3 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk with two strikeouts on 47 pitches, in his postseason debut (MLB Stats API). He made nine regular-season appearances for Atlanta after his Aug. 17 season debut, including one start, Sept. 25 at Miami, and went 0-0 with a 1.47 ERA, 11 strikeouts, two walks and a 0.60 WHIP in 18 1/3 innings (MLB Stats API). He did not face the Dodgers this season. Sunday is the 32-year-old’s fifth career start, and ESPN described the plan as a second straight bullpen game for the Braves. Kerr is pitching on two days’ rest, so it is unclear how many pitches he will have (Yahoo Sports); Grant Holmes (RHP, 10-6, 3.44 ERA in 31 games, 29 starts), who followed Kerr on Thursday, could follow him again (SI).
Dodgers: Blake Snell (LHP). The Dodgers announced Snell for Game 2, which pushes Yoshinobu Yamamoto to Game 3 on Tuesday (Yahoo Sports, NBC Sports). Shoulder fatigue and surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow limited Snell to nine regular-season starts, in which he went 4-1 with a 1.90 ERA, 55 strikeouts, 16 walks, a 1.10 WHIP and no home runs allowed in 42 2/3 innings (MLB Stats API, MLB.com). He left his Sept. 16 start with left groin tightness but came out of his final start and bye-week workouts feeling good (MLB.com). Against Atlanta on May 9 he took the loss, allowing four earned runs in three innings (MLB Stats API). Last postseason he set a Dodgers franchise record with 41 strikeouts and posted a 3.18 ERA in 34 innings (Yahoo Sports).
Key Matchup Notes: Braves vs Dodgers Game 2
- Lefty vs. lefty: Both teams start left-handers. Los Angeles follows Skubal with Snell, and Atlanta had four hits in Game 1, two of them home runs (MLB Stats API). Kerr faces a Dodgers lineup with left-handed bats Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman near the top (Yahoo Sports).
- Murphy vs. Snell: Murphy is 3-for-8 with a double and a homer in his career against Snell (MLB.com).
- Pitching plan: Atlanta moved Sale to Game 3 on Tuesday at Truist Park (ESPN). Yahoo Sports reported Fuentes, Lee and Iglesias, who were used heavily in the Wild Card round, are available Sunday.
- Pitch counts: Atlanta used four pitchers over eight innings in Game 1: Dodd (47 pitches), Mederos (11), Smith-Shawver (53) and Suter (33). No Dodgers reliever threw more than 15 pitches (MLB Stats API).
- Season series: Atlanta won five of six regular-season meetings and outscored Los Angeles 26-15 (MLB Stats API).
How to Watch Atlanta Braves vs Los Angeles Dodgers – NLDS Game 2
Date: Sunday, October 4, 2026
First pitch: 8:00 PM ET (5:00 PM PT)
Venue: UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, Calif.
TV / Streaming: FS1 and FOX One, with Spanish-language coverage on FOX Deportes (MLB Stats API, ESPN, MLB.com).
The series winner advances to the NLCS against the winner of the Padres-Brewers NLDS. Game 3 is Tuesday, Oct. 6 at Truist Park, where Yoshinobu Yamamoto is scheduled to start for Los Angeles (Yahoo Sports, NBC Sports). Check the run line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 4, 2026 first pitch, and look for official lineups closer to game time.