Braves Hold Chris Sale for NLDS Game 3 With 7 Days' Rest

Q: Can Yoshinobu Yamamoto channel his 2025 World Series MVP magic to overcome Atlanta's fierce home-field advantage at Truist Park?

Yes — Yamamoto has a very real chance to do it, but only if he is close to his best immediately, because Atlanta’s home edge and Chris Sale make the margin thin. The evidence for Yamamoto is strong. He enters with a 2.53 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP and 182 strikeouts in 185 regular-season innings, and his postseason résumé is already elite: 7-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 10 career playoff appearances. His 2025 postseason was dominant enough to earn World Series MVP, and he has also handled Atlanta well, holding Braves hitters to a .196 average in 51 at-bats. At Truist Park specifically, he has been effective, allowing just one run in 6 1/3 innings there on Aug. 27. His broader road profile also supports the case: since 2024, his ERA away from home has been markedly better than at home. But this is not a favorable setup by default. Atlanta went 52-29 at home in the regular season, has already regained momentum by stealing Game 2 in Los Angeles, and now turns to Sale, who owns a 2.16 ERA, is well-rested, and shut out the Dodgers over nine innings in that same Aug. 27 matchup. The Braves have also won six of eight meetings with Los Angeles this year. So the answer is that Yamamoto can absolutely summon that October form again, and the Dodgers are justified as a slight lean because of his dependability and Los Angeles’ lineup depth. Still, overcoming Truist Park likely requires a low-scoring duel, six-plus strong innings, and near-perfect execution in the few scoring chances that emerge.

3 articles · Updated · MLB.com · Oct 6

Tuesday’s Game 3 at Truist Park will be Sale’s first start in a week, giving Atlanta the extra-rest setup it used for 25 of his 27 regular-season starts.
Walt Weiss said starting Sale in Game 2 after his 21-pitch relief outing against Philadelphia risked getting a diminished version twice—Sunday and again in a potential Game 5.
Sunday’s win made the plan look stronger: Atlanta avoided a third straight opener, got through with four relievers, and now lines up Sale and Tyler Mahle for the next two games.
Sale, 37, also brings recent Dodgers success into the matchup after a five-hit shutout against Los Angeles on Aug. 27, when he struck out Shohei Ohtani with a 100-mph pitch.