Skubal and three homers carry Dodgers past Braves 5–3 in NLDS opener

Tarik Skubal held Atlanta to two hits over six innings, and the Dodgers hit three home runs to beat the Braves 5–3 Saturday in Game 1 of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles took a 1–0 lead in the best-of-five series after building enough of a cushion to withstand a ninth-inning comeback attempt.

Teoscar Hernández opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the fourth. Kyle Tucker added a two-run shot in the sixth, and Max Muncy followed with a solo homer in that inning. Those three swings accounted for all five Dodgers runs, while Hernández and Tucker each finished 2 for 4 with two RBIs.

The fourth-inning breakthrough came after Atlanta starter Dylan Dodd had kept Los Angeles scoreless for three innings. Dodd allowed two hits, struck out four and issued no walks across 47 pitches. Victor Mederos entered for the fourth, walked Freddie Freeman and then surrendered Hernández’s homer to left-center. The change in pitchers immediately changed the score, and Mederos recorded only one out before Atlanta turned to AJ Smith-Shawver.

Skubal protected the lead through the fifth. His final line included one earned run, seven strikeouts and two walks, with 62 of his 94 pitches going for strikes. The Dodgers asked him to cover six innings, and he did so without allowing Atlanta to put together a multi-run frame.

Sean Murphy interrupted that control with a leadoff home run in the sixth, cutting the Braves’ deficit to 2–1. Los Angeles answered in the bottom half. Hernández singled before Tucker’s homer to right, and Muncy went deep to right two batters later. The Dodgers had turned a one-run game into a 5–1 advantage before asking their bullpen to take over.

Brock Stewart and Alex Vesia each delivered a scoreless inning, allowing no hits and striking out one batter apiece. That carried the four-run lead into the ninth, where Atlanta finally produced consecutive hits.

Ronald Acuña Jr. singled against Tanner Scott to begin the inning, and Ozzie Albies homered to center to make it 5–3. Scott retired Matt Olson and Michael Harris II on groundouts before Evan Phillips entered. Phillips walked Mauricio Dubón, bringing the potential tying run to the plate, then got Austin Riley to ground to shortstop Mookie Betts for the final out and the save.

The official box score recorded eight Dodgers hits and four Braves hits, with neither team committing an error. Atlanta’s two home runs produced all three of its runs, but the Braves received no hits from Olson, Harris or Riley in their combined 12 at-bats.

The Associated Press reported a game-time temperature of 100 degrees. Game 2 follows Sunday at Dodger Stadium, with Los Angeles carrying the series lead after Skubal’s six innings and its middle-of-the-order power supplied the opening win.