The Los Angeles Dodgers take their postseason push to Cobb County on Wednesday, October 7, squaring off against the Atlanta Braves in an NLDS matchup at Truist Park with first pitch set for 6:00 PM ET on FS1. Tyler Glasnow gets the ball for Los Angeles against Atlanta's Tyler Mahle in a battle of power arms that could go a long way toward deciding this series. With Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts in the lineup, the Dodgers bring a formidable offensive force into one of the toughest road environments in the National League.

Probable Starters: Tyler Glasnow vs. Tyler Mahle

Glasnow is the Dodgers' assignment here, and this is exactly the kind of stage he was brought to Los Angeles to handle. The right-hander has the pure stuff — a mid-to-upper-90s fastball paired with a hammer curveball — to punch out a deep Braves lineup. The question, as it always is with Glasnow, is execution and endurance. If he's commanding both pitches early, the Braves are going to have a long night.

Mahle counters for Atlanta. He's a capable postseason arm and the Braves will be banking on him to keep one of baseball's most dangerous lineups off the board through the early innings. How long Mahle can hold up against this Dodgers order will likely define Atlanta's path in this game.

Dodgers Lineup to Watch

• Mookie Betts (SS, leadoff): Setting the table from the top. Betts reaching base consistently puts immediate pressure on Mahle.
• Freddie Freeman (1B, No. 2): Freeman against his former club at Truist Park is always a storyline. He knows this stadium, this atmosphere, and this pitching staff as well as anyone in the Dodgers dugout.
• Shohei Ohtani (DH, No. 4): Batting cleanup and carrying the weight of the most scrutinized at-bats in the sport. Atlanta will have to decide how to pitch him — and there are no good options.
• Kyle Tucker (RF, No. 8): Tucker's postseason track record makes him a dangerous presence even hitting eighth. Don't let the lineup spot fool you.

Braves Lineup to Watch

• Ronald Acuña Jr. (RF, No. 2): One of the most dynamic players in the NL when locked in. Glasnow will need to be sharp against him.
• Matt Olson (1B, No. 3): A left-handed power bat with the ability to do serious damage. How Glasnow handles Olson in critical counts will be worth monitoring.
• Austin Riley (3B, No. 8): Hitting eighth, but don't sleep on Riley. He's capable of turning a lineup over with one swing.

Keys to the Game

• Glasnow's command in the first three innings. If he's locating his fastball and getting early counts, the Braves lineup gets neutralized quickly.
• Freeman's comfort level at his former home. He knows Truist Park intimately, and a big performance from the Dodgers' No. 2 hitter could flip this game early.
• Atlanta's bullpen management. If Mahle runs into trouble, how quickly the Braves go to their relief corps will shape the middle innings.
• Andy Pages (CF, No. 9) and Enrique Hernández (2B, No. 7) generating traffic at the bottom of the order to turn the lineup over to Betts and Freeman.

Prediction

This figures to be a tight, well-pitched game through the first five innings before the Dodgers' lineup depth wears down the Atlanta bullpen. Glasnow's stuff is built for October, and the one-through-five in the Dodgers' order — Betts, Freeman, Will Smith, Ohtani, Teoscar Hernández — is as formidable a five-hole stretch as any team in this postseason. Dodgers win, 4–2, and take a stranglehold on this series. Catch all the action on FS1 or locally on Dodgers Radio AM570.