Dodgers Drop Back-to-Back Games to Braves and Lose Series

The Los Angeles Dodgers opened their weekend series against the Atlanta Braves with a gritty win Friday night, but Atlanta responded by taking the next two games at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium to secure the series.

Los Angeles now sits at 24-16 overall and remains in first place in the NL West despite consecutive losses, while Atlanta improved to 28-13 and strengthened its hold atop the NL East. The Dodgers will continue their homestand Monday night against the Giants, who have been a terrible team to this point, posting a 15-24 record. 

May 8: Dodgers 3, Braves 1

Freeman’s milestone homer, bullpen brilliance lift Dodgers

The Dodgers opened the series with one of their cleaner all-around performances of the season, defeating Atlanta 3-1 before 51,255 excited fans at Uniqlo Field.

Atlanta struck first in the second inning when Austin Riley singled home Michael Harris II after Harris and Dominic Smith opened the frame with hits against Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan.

But Sheehan settled in quickly after the early damage.

The right-hander delivered 4 2/3 innings, allowing one run on six hits while striking out seven. Sheehan consistently attacked Atlanta hitters with elevated velocity and swing-and-miss stuff, working out of multiple jams before handing the game to the bullpen.

“I felt like my stuff got sharper as the game went on,” Sheehan said. “The bullpen picked me up in a huge spot and everybody did their job.”

The Dodgers tied the game in the bottom half of the inning when Kyle Tucker ripped an RBI double to right-center, scoring Teoscar Hernández.

Los Angeles grabbed the lead for good in the fifth after Miguel Rojas reached on a throwing error by Braves shortstop Jim Jarvis. Two batters later, Shohei Ohtani lined an RBI single to right field to put the Dodgers ahead 2-1.

Then in the sixth inning, Freddie Freeman crushed his 100th career homer as a Dodger, a solo shot to center field off Chris Sale that gave Los Angeles valuable breathing room.

“It’s special any time you reach a milestone in this uniform,” Freddie Freeman said. “More importantly, we played a really complete game tonight against a really good club.”

Freeman finished 1-for-4 with the homer and an RBI, raising his season line to .278 with a .786 OPS. Ohtani went 1-for-4 with an RBI, while Tucker finished 1-for-3 with his RBI double and improved his OPS to .738.

The Dodgers’ bullpen was dominant after Sheehan exited with two runners aboard in the fifth. Alex Vesia stranded both inherited runners, Kyle Hurt worked a scoreless sixth, Will Klein and Brock Stewart navigated late traffic, and Tanner Scott earned his third save with a clean ninth inning.

Atlanta managed nine hits but went just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10 runners.

May 9: Braves 7, Dodgers 2

Snell struggles in season debut as Braves erupt early

Atlanta evened the series Friday night by jumping all over Dodgers starter Blake Snell in his 2026 debut.

In front of 50,209 fans at Dodger Stadium, the Braves scored five runs in the first two innings and never looked back in a 7-2 victory. 

Snell showed flashes of swing-and-miss ability early, striking out Matt Olson for his first strikeout this year, but command issues and hard contact quickly spiraled.

After Atlanta scratched across a first-inning run on an Austin Riley forceout, the Braves exploded in the second. Ozzie Albies delivered a two-run single before Olson followed with a two-run single of his own after a passed ball by Will Smith extended the inning.

Snell lasted only three innings, allowing five runs on six hits while walking two and striking out five. 

“Obviously not the way I wanted it to go,” Snell said. “I felt good physically, but I fell behind too many hitters and they capitalized.”

Atlanta starter Spencer Strider dominated the Dodgers’ lineup, allowing just one hit over six shutout innings while striking out eight.

The Dodgers’ offense continued a troubling trend against elite velocity and power pitching, striking out nine times and failing to score until the ninth inning. Los Angeles managed only six hits and only put one runner in scoring position all night.

Still, Andy Pages continued his breakout campaign. The center fielder blasted a two-run homer in the ninth inning — his ninth homer of the season — to avoid the shutout.

Pages finished 2-for-4 and raised his average to .333 with a .948 OPS. Ohtani and Will Smith added singles, while Teoscar Hernández reached base twice.

The bullpen did provide some stability after Snell’s exit. Jack Dreyer threw 1.1 scoreless innings, Edgardo Henriquez gave up one run in 1.1 innings, then Paul Gervase threw 3, giving up just 1 run.

May 10: Braves 7, Dodgers 2

Dodgers’ offense disappears again as Atlanta clinches series

Sunday afternoon brought more frustration for Los Angeles as the Braves completed the series win with another 7-2 victory before 49,514 fans. 

This time, it was Justin Wrobleski who suffered the damage early.

Atlanta scored four runs in the second inning after Eli White opened the scoring with an RBI single before Mauricio Dubón cleared the bases with a three-run double to left field.

Wrobleski settled down considerably after the disastrous second inning and ended up pitching into the ninth, but the early deficit proved too large to overcome. The left-hander allowed seven runs on seven hits over 8 2/3 innings while striking out seven.

“I thought Justin competed really hard after that second inning,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Unfortunately against a lineup like that, one rough inning can change the game.”

The Braves added insurance runs late on Drake Baldwin’s solo homer in the eighth and Matt Olson’s homer in the ninth.

Atlanta starter Bryce Elder carved through the Dodgers’ lineup for 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out eight.

The Dodgers threatened in the sixth after loading the bases with two outs, but Max Muncy lined out sharply to right field to end the inning. Combined, between Saturday and Sunday, LA had only 5 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Muncy finally got the Dodgers on the board in the eighth with a two-run homer, his 10th of the year, but the offense once again struggled to generate sustained pressure. The Dodgers finished with only two hits all afternoon and struck out 10 times.

Pages continued to be one of the few bright spots offensively, reaching base twice and collecting one of the Dodgers’ two hits. Tucker drew three walks, but Ohtani went hitless while Hyeseong Kim struck out three times.

The series exposed some recent offensive inconsistencies for Los Angeles. While Pages, Freeman, and Muncy have continued producing, the lineup as a whole has become increasingly homer-dependent, particularly against top-tier starting pitching.

Even with the rough weekend, the Dodgers remain atop the NL West at 24-16, so take that as a positive, as we exit an otherwise disappointing weekend.