Playoff seeding at stake as division leaders Dodgers, Braves set for key clash

Some series mean a little more in August. For the Dodgers and Braves, that holds true as both division leaders prepare to clash this week.

Two of the National League's best meet at Truist Park starting on Tuesday night, when the Dodgers and Braves kick off a three-game series. Both teams sit atop their respective divisions, giving them pretty clear paths to the postseason with a month remaining in the regular season.

But both the Dodgers and Braves are seeking one common thing on the path to October: a first-round bye, which is awarded to the top two teams in each league. This series could potentially swing the likelihood of getting a bye in either team's favor.

"Obviously, I think the season series matters, and hopefully, it doesn't come into play," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "They're a really good ballclub. I think they're sort of scuffling right now, but we're going to get their best."

Here's a look at what to watch for in this week's series:

Probable pitching matchups

Tuesday: RHP Tyler Glasnow vs. RHP Bryce Elder

Wednesday: RHP Roki Sasaki vs. RHP AJ Smith-Shawver

Thursday: RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. LHP Chris Sale

What's the state of each team?

Dodgers: Coming off a 5-11 stretch marked by poor play, the Dodgers have rebounded to win six straight games against the Rockies and Pirates. The Braves should present a steeper challenge, even when taking into account their recent struggles. L.A. became the second team in the Majors to reach 80 wins on Sunday, and its lead in the NL West sits at a comfortable 9 1/2 games. The Dodgers are also getting healthier for the most part, adding Glasnow back to their rotation on Tuesday with Shohei Ohtani not far behind.

Braves: Atlanta enters this series with a 3 1/2-game lead over the red-hot Phillies in the National League East. Despite sitting a comfortable 21 games over .500, the Braves return home after a tough road trip -- the club lost five of its first six games on its Midwest swing before winning the Little League Classic on Sunday, and has dropped seven of its last 10 games overall. But with a strong series vs. L.A., the Braves have a chance to pad -- or at the very least, maintain -- their NL East lead, especially with matchups against Colorado, San Francisco and Washington on tap before what could be a pivotal four-game set in Philadelphia starting Sept. 4.

What's the primary concern for each team?

Dodgers: While the Dodgers are a top-four team in the Majors in runs scored (653), their boom-or-bust offense has been an issue for much of the past month -- although they've looked better over the course of their winning streak. L.A.'s lineup took a notable hit last weekend when Andy Pages sustained a fracture in his left hand on a hit-by-pitch, leaving the team without one of its most prolific run producers for at least the next four weeks. The Dodgers will need hitters such as Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernández and Kyle Tucker -- who have all struggled to perform consistently -- to step up in Pages' absence.

Braves: The biggest issue for the Braves during their mid-August swoon has been offense, as Atlanta averaged a meager 2.1 runs per game during its seven-game road tilt and had not homered since Tuesday before Michael Harris II’s Sunday blast. Over their last 10 games, Ronald Acuña Jr. is just 6-for-40 (.150) with 16 strikeouts, while Matt Olson (.184 average), Ozzie Albies (.216) and Austin Riley (.200) have also struggled. The team sports a .215 average overall in that span, with more strikeouts (88) than hits (71).

Atlanta will look to break out of this team-wide slump against one of the better pitching staffs in baseball. Dodgers' starters sport a 3.48 ERA, tied for third best in MLB, with a league-best .217 opponents’ batting average. If there’s any silver lining, the Braves will miss Tarik Skubal and Blake Snell during this series.

What happened the last time these teams met?

The Braves visited Dodger Stadium from May 8-10, taking two of three that series. Sale (seven innings, three runs) and Elder (5 2/3 innings, no runs) started two of those games for Atlanta, but none of L.A.'s starters from that weekend are getting a second look at the Braves this week.

Back then, the Braves didn't have Acuña, who was on the IL with a left hamstring strain. The Dodgers were on the cusp of getting Betts back from a right oblique strain. In several regards, both teams are coming into this series with stronger rosters than they had in May.

What's at stake this series?

This is the last chance these teams have to do head-to-head damage to one another. The Dodgers will be ahead of the Braves in the NL standings when this series ends regardless of what happens, but this series could still hold some importance for potential postseason tiebreakers.

The Dodgers would have to sweep the three-game set to clinch the head-to-head tiebreaker, while the Braves would only need to win the series. But if the teams split the season series, there are other tiebreakers to determine postseason seeding if needed.