Top offenses on display when Braves visit Dodgers

Through the first full month of the season, the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers have indeed shown they are two of the top World Series-title threats, with a chance to compare notes this weekend amid play that has not been up to either's standards.

Atlanta will visit Los Angeles for a three-game series starting Friday, bringing together the best two offenses in baseball.

Heading into play Thursday, the Dodgers had a baseball-best .793 OPS, while the Braves were second at .766. The Dodgers' 177 runs scored were tops in the game, while the Braves were fourth with 157. And yet both teams are confident their offenses can get better.

The pitching also is a work in progress, with the Braves' 3.52 ERA ranked ninth in baseball while Dodgers' 3.53 mark was No. 10. Both teams are missing key rotation pieces, while the Dodgers are dealing with injuries in the bullpen as well.

The series opener will match a pair of right-handers as the Braves will send Charlie Morton (2-0, 3.60) to the mound opposite the Dodgers' Gavin Stone (2-1, 4.68).

In his first full season, Stone has been solid while filling a rotation void, with his best outing on April 26 at Toronto when he gave up one run on two hits over seven innings.

Stone's first career road start came against the Braves last May, and he gave up five runs on five hits with five walks in four innings.

The Dodgers are returning from a rejuvenating nine-game road trip that started amid some offensive struggles and ended with a 7-2 record. Shohei Ohtani received his first day off Wednesday after he struck out three times in a loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

"You look back 11 days ago and we were in a tough spot, weren't playing good baseball," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "To go on the road, East Coast trip, to go north of the border and then come back here and play a division rival and end up 7-2, it was a nice feat, a lot of good baseball."

In seven career starts against the Dodgers, Morton is 1-4 with a 5.70 ERA. He has also pitched in three separate postseason series against the Dodgers, including the 2021 National League Championship Series when he had a no-decision in Game 3 of an eventual Los Angeles win.

The Braves are just 2-3 since Saturday and enter off a series loss at Seattle this week, although Atlanta did earn a 5-2 victory over the Mariners on Wednesday as Austin Riley delivered a two-run triple.

"We've been kind of struggling to hit on all cylinders, so it looked a little bit closer," Braves manager Brian Snitker said.

Riley is off to a slow start by his standards with a .697 OPS in 29 games but carries a career .793 OPS in 17 games against the Dodgers, with a .303 batting average.

"I love going to Dodger Stadium," Riley said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "It's a playoff atmosphere all the time. They're a really good ballclub, so it's going to be another battle. We're all looking forward to it."

The last time the Braves met the Dodgers in Los Angeles was late last season in a four-game series that also was billed as a titanic clash. Atlanta went 3-1 as Ronald Acuna Jr. cemented his NL MVP credentials with three home runs, including a grand slam in the opener.

Acuna and Matt Olson are also off to slow starts for the Braves with a combined four home runs.