Braves vs. Dodgers: Starting Pitching Matchups

For the first time all season, the Atlanta Braves are coming off a series loss, but that sour taste will disappear quickly if they can go into Chavez Ravine and take a series from the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers — something Atlanta has struggled to do for years in the regular season.

Projected Starting Pitchers

Friday: Chris Sale vs. Emmet Sheehan

Saturday: Spencer Strider vs. Roki Sasaki

Sunday: Bryce Elder vs. Justin Wrobleski

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There’s still a long way to go, but there’s a decent chance this ends up looking a lot like Atlanta’s playoff rotation come October if everything breaks right.

Barring injury, we already know Sale is getting the ball in any Game 1 scenario. Over the last three seasons, he’s be one of the best pitchers on the planet, and through the first six weeks of 2026, he’s firmly back in the Cy Young conversation, posting a 6-1 record with a 2.14 ERA and 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings through seven starts.

The reigning NL Cy Young winner will square off against Sheehan, a talented 26-year-old right-hander who posted a 2.82 ERA over 73.1 innings last season but has stumbled a bit out of the gate in 2026, carrying a 5.23 ERA through his first six outings.

Saturday’s matchup is probably the most fascinating of the bunch, featuring two electric right-handers still trying to fully find themselves.

For Strider, the issue has simply been staying healthy. He hasn’t looked the same since undergoing InternalBrace surgery in April of 2024, and subsequent injuries — hamstring and oblique issues included — have prevented him from building any sort of rhythm. In his season debut last week at Coors Field, he lasted just 3.1 innings, allowing three earned runs while striking out six and walking five.

The Braves certainly haven’t eased him back into things.

First, the most hitter-friendly park in baseball. Now, a road matchup against the deepest lineup in the sport.

As for Sasaki, his struggles are entirely different. The Japanese phenom possesses generational stuff, but since arriving in Los Angeles, the results haven’t consistently matched the hype, as he owns a 5.12 ERA over 65 innings dating back to last season.

The Braves are probably hoping he waits at least one more series before everything clicks — because once it does, the rest of baseball will be in trouble.

Then there’s Sunday, where Elder continues one of the most shocking developments in baseball this season.

After looking completely lost over the last few years, Elder appears to have reinvented himself with a few subtle tweaks to his repertoire. You could legitimately argue he’s been Atlanta’s best starter through the first month-and-a-half, posting a 2.02 ERA and 3.20 FIP across eight starts.

He’ll oppose Wrobleski, a former 11th-round pick who has quietly become one of the Dodgers’ early-season surprises. The 25-year-old owns a sparkling 1.25 ERA over 36 innings, despite averaging just 3.8 strikeouts per nine innings. Like Elder, he finds success with command, weak contact, and an ability to avoid free passes.

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