The Atlanta Braves host the Los Angeles Dodgers at Truist Park on Thursday, August 27, with first pitch scheduled for 7:15 PM ET. This is a marquee regular season matchup between two of the National League's heaviest hitters, and the pitching duel at the center of it — Chris Sale for Atlanta against Yoshinobu Yamamoto for Los Angeles — is appointment television. Catch it on FS1 or BravesVision, or tune in on 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan if you're making the drive down I-285.
Probable Starters: Chris Sale vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto
This is the kind of arms race that makes August baseball genuinely compelling. Chris Sale takes the ball for Atlanta, a left-handed veteran whose ability to miss bats and work deep into games gives the Braves' bullpen a breather when he's on. Sale has been one of the more important pieces of Atlanta's rotation this season, and Truist Park's home crowd should give him a lift on a summer Thursday night.
Standing in his way is Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers' hard-throwing right-hander who has been one of the more difficult starting pitchers to square up in the National League. Yamamoto's combination of fastball life and secondary stuff makes him a genuine problem for any lineup, and the Braves will need disciplined at-bats and traffic on the bases to break through.
Keys to Watch for the Braves
- Sale's command and pitch count: When Sale is locating his slider and keeping hitters off his fastball, he's nearly untouchable. The Braves need him to work efficiently and give them length — six-plus innings would be the ideal scenario against a Dodgers lineup this deep.
- Cracking Yamamoto early: Atlanta can't afford to let Yamamoto settle in and get comfortable. The Braves need to work counts, put the ball in play, and find ways to generate traffic in the first three innings before his rhythm builds.
- Bullpen management: If this game stays close into the seventh, Atlanta's relief options and how manager Brian Snitker deploys them will be critical. A low-scoring affair against a lineup as dangerous as Los Angeles's has late-inning swing written all over it.
- Home crowd energy: Truist Park has a way of feeding off big matchups. A loud Thursday night crowd in Cumberland can absolutely affect at-bats and give Atlanta's hitters an edge in pressure moments.
Prediction
This game is going to be decided by which starter blinks first. Both Sale and Yamamoto are capable of dealing through six or seven innings and handing the game over to their respective bullpens in a tight spot. Give the edge to Atlanta at home, where Sale has the comfort of a familiar mound and a crowd that understands the weight of the moment. Braves win a low-scoring game, 3-2, with Sale delivering six solid innings and the offense finding just enough against Yamamoto to get it done.
