The Atlanta Braves completed a statement series at Truist Park on Thursday night, sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 1-0 victory in the series finale. The win gave Atlanta three straight victories over one of the National League’s top teams and marked the Braves first sweep of the Dodgers since 2013.
Atlanta’s pitching was the story throughout the series, and Chris Sale saved his best performance for the finale. The veteran left-hander delivered a dominant complete-game shutout, striking out 11 batters while allowing only five hits and no walks. Sale threw 109 pitches and consistently kept the Dodgers’ powerful lineup off balance.
The Braves needed just one run to give Sale all the support he needed.
Drake Baldwin provided that run in the first inning, launching a leadoff home run against Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Baldwin jumped on Yamamoto’s first pitch and sent it over the wall, giving Atlanta an early 1-0 lead.
From there, Sale took control.
The Dodgers struggled to generate consistent offense, despite several opportunities throughout the game. Sale repeatedly came up with big pitches when Los Angeles threatened, including a key strikeout of Shohei Ohtani during the later innings. Yamamoto also pitched extremely well, allowing only Baldwin’s home run while striking out eight over 6⅓ innings.
The sweep capped a remarkable three-game stretch for Atlanta. The Braves opened the series with a 4-3 victory before winning a dramatic 6-5 game Wednesday night on Ha-Seong Kim’s walk off single. Kim’s hit scored Lane Thomas with two outs in the ninth inning and gave Atlanta a 2-0 series lead.
Atlanta then finished the job Thursday behind Sale’s historic performance.
The sweep is especially significant because the Dodgers entered the series as one of the National League’s leading teams. Atlanta’s ability to win three consecutive close games showed the Braves can compete with the league’s best when the pressure is at its highest.
With the sweep, Atlanta also moved within one game of Los Angeles for the National League’s No. 2 playoff seed.
The Braves now turn their attention to the next series, carrying plenty of momentum after one of their biggest statement performances of the season.
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