Skubal deals, Dodgers go deep three times to take NLDS Game 1 from Braves
Six strong innings from Tarik Skubal and homers by Teoscar Hernández, Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy carried Los Angeles past Atlanta 5-3 for a 1-0 series lead.
In a best-of-five series, Game 1 is the whole argument in miniature — and the Los Angeles Dodgers made theirs emphatically, beating the Atlanta Braves 5-3 at a sweltering Dodger Stadium on Saturday to grab a 1-0 lead in the NLDS.
Skubal sets the tone
Tarik Skubal gave the Dodgers exactly the start October demands: 6 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 2 walks and 7 strikeouts on 94 pitches. Per Dodgers Digest, he retired 15 consecutive batters at one stretch before Sean Murphy's solo homer in the sixth finally broke the spell. Atlanta's opener, Dylan Dodd, matched zeros for three innings, but the game turned once the Braves went to the bullpen.
The long ball decides it
The breakthrough came in the fourth: a walk to Freddie Freeman, then Teoscar Hernández launched a two-run shot off Victor Mederos — CBS Sports measured it at 431 feet — for a 2-0 lead. In the sixth, after Murphy's homer trimmed the gap, Los Angeles answered immediately against AJ Smith-Shawver: a two-run homer from Kyle Tucker and a solo blast from Max Muncy, his 17th career postseason home run, pushing it to 5-1.
Atlanta made the ninth interesting when Ozzie Albies took Tanner Scott deep for a two-run homer, but Evan Phillips came on to record the final out and the save. The game-time temperature hit 100°F, among the hottest conditions in the park's postseason history.
What it means
For the Dodgers, the formula — dominant starter, damage in bunches — is precisely what they built this roster for, and holding serve at home puts real pressure on Atlanta's rotation plans. For the Braves, the lineup managed just two hits off Skubal, and the bullpen surrendered all five runs. Game 2 comes Sunday at Dodger Stadium, with Blake Snell slated to start for Los Angeles; Atlanta had not announced its starter as of the Game 1 final.