The Los Angeles Dodgers refuse to lose. The Atlanta Braves can’t muster a win.
These storylines collaborated to produce a memorable three-game set this week at Dodger Stadium, where the defending champs looked mightier than ever and their formerly formidable opponents looked positively helpless.
Here are six takeaways from an eye-opening series in the earliest stages of the 2025 season.
The Sho goes on for the Dodgers; the struggles continue for the Braves
Of course, Shohei Ohtani hit a walk-off home run on his bobblehead night to complete the sweep of Atlanta. Dodgers broadcaster Joe Davis’ “Ohtani, inevitable!” call as the ball sailed over the center-field fence was perfectly apt. On Wednesday, Freddie Freeman didn’t play, No. 2 and No. 3 hitters Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernandez went 0-for-8, Blake Snell lasted just four innings, and the L.A. defense made three errors … yet the Dodgers won anyway because that’s just what they do. Meanwhile, the Braves’ shocking skid reached unthinkable lows, with Ohtani’s walk-off dinger the punctuating gut punch.
After looking largely noncompetitive against San Diego and in the first two games of this series, Atlanta jumped to a 5-0 lead through two innings Wednesday. The five runs already marked a season high for the club, seemingly suggesting the offense had awoken from its weeklong slumber. But the Braves were unable to add on after the first two frames, including failing to capitalize on a bases-loaded, nobody-out situation in the sixth with Marcell Ozuna, Austin Riley and Matt Olson scheduled to bat. Those shortcomings with runners in scoring position loomed large as the Dodgers mounted their dramatic comeback and epitomized what has been an epic collective struggle at the plate for Atlanta over the first week.
The Braves rank last or close to it in nearly every offensive category thus far, a stunning reality considering ...
