The Los Angeles Dodgers got swept by their National League rival, the Atlanta Braves, in yet another disappointing result against a top team.
LA offense was totally shut down in the series finale, with Chris Sale delivering a complete-game shutout, needing just 108 pitches, getting 11 strikeouts, and allowing only five hits.
The Dodgers have won only two of their last 15 games against teams with a record above .500, highlighting their struggles against stiffer competition.
The offense isn’t sustaining production, the bullpen is inconsistent at times, and the defense isn’t playing at the elite level it typically does.
Aug 27, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) shown in the dugout during the game against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
The Dodgers’ stars haven’t been reliable, at least in the batting order, and it has cost them in the biggest moments.
Manager Dave Roberts, however, doesn’t appear overly concerned about their struggles against the best of the best in MLB.
“I’d still take us against any of those winning teams,” Roberts said. “It just comes down to us having to play good baseball.”
“We haven’t been at our best in quite some time. But I just think if you look back, teams that we’ve played certainly the last couple months have.”
Roberts thinks Skubal, with his fiery, emotional style of pitching, can help wake up a Dodgers team that has looked like it’s coasting to a certain extent.
“Now, we got the Tigers, who were kind of their last kind of fight to the end,” Robert said.
“And you got a team that we don’t know very well. But I expect us to come out and follow Tarek’s fire, which you will have tomorrow night, and feed off of that.”
Aug 22, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) throws to the plate in the sixth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
While a bounce-back against the Tigers would be good, the Dodgers will need to prove themselves against stiff competition.
The San Diego Padres, who are red hot, come into town towards the end of September, and that will be the only real title contender that the Dodgers will face.
The Dodgers can only win the games in front of them, but as this past series against the Braves proved, their success against teams under .500 (9 wins in a row) does not always translate to better teams.
The challenge is on LA to pick themselves up and bounce back like they have done over the past few years to avoid a September hangover from the August slump.
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