Dodgers & Braves are good at the same time again

The Dodgers and Braves had a nice little October tradition going recently, having met in three playoff series in a four-year span. But the last four seasons they haven’t been able to recreate the matchup. This year, Atlanta owns the best record in baseball heading into this weekend’s matchup at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers beat the Braves in the 2018 National League Division Series en route to winning a pennant. Then the two teams faced off in consecutive National League Championship Series in 2020-21, with Los Angeles overcoming a 3-1 deficit on their way to a title in the first of those years, and Atlanta getting hot at the right time to win their own title in 2021.

Both teams were excellent in the regular season the next two years as well, with the Dodgers winning 111 games and the Braves 101 in 2022. The next year the Braves won 104 and the Dodgers won 100. In both years they were the top two seeds in the National League playoffs, and in both years they lost the NLDS to a division rival, stunningly so.

The Dodgers overcame those October demons by winning the World Series in each of the last two years, the first repeat champion in the sport in a quarter-century. Atlanta made the playoffs as a wild card in 2024 before a terrible start torpedoed their 2025 campaign, finishing at 76-86, their first losing record in eight years.

This year the Braves found their way again, leading the majors in runs scored (5.61 per game) and leading the NL in home runs (55). Atlanta is third in MLB in fewest runs allowed (3.53). The Dodgers are not far behind in offensive categories, despite their recent woes, and pitching his been the strong suit for Los Angeles. Both teams are close in many stats, at or near the top in several categories.

Statistic

Dodgers