4 Storylines to Follow in the Atlanta Braves-Los Angeles Dodgers Series

The Atlanta Braves host the Los Angeles Dodgers for a four-game series. It's a series with plenty of storylines.

There will be plenty of storylines to keep track of during the Atlanta Braves- Los Angeles Dodgers series T. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves are set to host the Los Angeles Dodgers for a four-game series this weekend. Apart from being a matchup between two perennial playoff teams, individual and team achievements are on the line with plenty of storylines to track.

Here are four storylines for you to follow during this series. 

Freddie Freeman Makes Third Visit to Old Home

This will always be a big storyline, no matter how long it has been. Freeman was one of the faces of Atlanta sports for over a decade. He represented the Braves in five All-Star Games and won his MVP and World Series title in an Atlanta uniform. 

He’s done nothing but carve up his old team since he left. In 16 games against the Braves, he has batted .317 with a .959 OPS, three home runs and eight RBIs. One of those dingers was a go-ahead three-run shot in Atlanta en route to an 8-6 Dodgers win. 

There will be emotions and lots of fans breaking out their old jerseys for the weekend. Braves fans will likely be fine with Freeman having a good series as long as his old team does too.

A Test For the Triple Crown Contender

Chris Sale is the clear front-runner for the Cy Young Award in the National League. But if he wants to win the Triple Crown as well, he needs a strong night against Los Angeles on Saturday. 

Sale has dominated during his renaissance season with the Braves, leading the league in wins (16), ERA (2.38), strikeouts (213) and ERA+ (175). He also has a 0.996 WHIP. If he can maintain his lead for those first three stats, he’ll be the first pitcher to win the Triple Crown since Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander won it in their respective leagues in 2011. 

However, he doesn’t have a good history against the Dodgers. In three career regular-season starts, Sale has a 10.13 ERA. He has given up 12 earned runs in 10 2/3 innings. Add in the postseason he has a slightly better but still brutal 8.61 ERA.

Now, none of these games have occurred since 2019. Time has passed. It's a lot of new matchups. Maybe, it’ll be different. It needs to be if he wants to stay ahead of Zach Wheeler for the ERA title (2.60) and Dylan Cease to be the strikeout leader (205). All it takes is one game to make it a tighter race. 

Playoff and Division Hopes Ride On This Series

The Braves are one game back of a playoff line and three games back of the top Wild Card spot. Meanwhile, the Dodgers hold a respectable five-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the lead in the National League West. 

The winner of the series could alter the entire playoff picture. If the Dodgers win the series, the Braves could lose substantial ground in little race track left. If the Braves are swept, the season is essentially over. However, if the Braves pull out a series win, they keep themselves in a tight race and potentially hurt the Dodgers' division hopes late in the year. 

The Diamondbacks would need to have a good weekend against the Milwaukee Brewers as well, but they can find themselves on the Dodgers' heels if the Braves can win big at home.

Which Version of Mookie Betts Will We See?

The Dodgers throttled the Braves when they last met up in LA. However, all-star utility man Mookie Betts struggled that weekend.   

During the three-game series, Betts had a slash line of .083/.214/.083. He had one hit, but he did manage to drive in two on that swing. So, he made it count for what it's worth. 

However, when he will have these moments has become tougher to pinpoint. Here are his numbers for the previous two seasons against the Braves:

• 2022: .091/.286/.091
• 2023: .333/.438/.704

He’s either been dominant or nonexistent. We’re not sure which Betts we’ll see in this series. Which version of him we see can determine the series and the Braves playoff hopes. They already struggle enough with Shohei Ohtani. Adding a successful Betts into the mix only makes winning this series a steeper mountain to climb. If you’re the Braves, you hope you’re still in his head a bit.

The Braves start their series with the Dodgers on Friday. First pitch is set for 7:20 p.m. EDT.