The Win Column: On to L.A.

Hey, y’all.

Before we get started, a quick programming note: I’m off the first part of next week, but Uncle Ken (Sugiura) has your back. It’ll be fun.

Braves-Dodgers should be, too.

CELEBRATIONS, THEN PREPARATIONS

The Braves finally beat the Phillies in the postseason, and the details — Ray Kerr’s unlikely start, Michael Harris II’s homer, Chris Sale’s relief magic — will be remembered for quite a while around these parts.

“It was a journey,” Kerr said after the game. “I’ve dreamed about stuff like this.”

The dream ain’t over yet.

Phase 2 starts Saturday, when Atlanta kicks off a best-of-five series with the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Do read columnist Michael Cunningham’s thoughts on the matter — but in the meantime, some basics.

📺 How to watch: We (gasp) already know the date and time of every game. Games 3 and 4 would be at Truist Park; Games 4 and 5 are as necessary.

• Game 1: 4 p.m. Saturday on Fox
• Game 2: 8 p.m. Sunday on FS1
• Game 3: 6 p.m. Tuesday on FS1
• Game 4: 6 p.m. Wednesday on FS1*
• Game 5: 8 p.m. Friday on Fox*

📜 The history: The Braves took five of six from L.A. during the regular season, including a thrilling three-game sweep (Sale complete game, Ha-Seong Kim walk-off, etc.) at Truist Park in late August.

It’s been a minute, but you may recall the two teams have also squared off in a few postseasons. Most recently:

• 2021: Braves win the NLCS in six games (and go on to win the World Series, too).
• 2020: Dodgers win the NLCS in seven.
• 2018: Dodgers win the NLDS in four.

💪 The pitching situation: No official announcements just yet, but the Dodgers figure to send Tarik Skubal or Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the mound for Game 1. The other would start Game 2, with Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell waiting in the wings.

That’s … well, that’s pretty darn good.

The Braves are in a very different situation. Sale won’t be ready for Game 1, and the odds of Bryce Elder or Reynaldo López returning from injury feel slim. Consider a series-starting bullpen game a strong possibility (hey, they made it work once).

• Speaking of bullpens: You were wondering, and yes, the Dodgers have a pretty good one. Former Mets closer Edwin Díaz is healthy and Tanner Scott has pitched admirably in the role as well.

🦄 About Ohtani: Yes, four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani will play for the Dodgers — but no, he won’t be pitching. A injury-plagued campaign nixed that a while back.

In fact, knee and bicep soreness sent him to the injured list in early September. He returned for the last five games of the regular season and went 5-for-21 with one extra base hit.

😤 If nothing else, remember this: As Cunningham writes, the Dodgers are not invincible: “The Padres had them down 2-1 in the best-of-five 2024 NLDS before losing in five games. The Dodgers needed extra innings to beat the Blue Jays in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series.”

This is baseball, y’all. There’s always a chance.

Click here to call your shot on the series’ outcome. And congrats to the 38% of folks who, earlier this week, predicted Braves over Phillies in three games.

PET PEEVES

By the way, I’m still taking suggestions for our “Fan’s Bill of Rights (and Wrongs).” Submit your most persistent pet peeves here!

I’ve already added “finding out whether your team plays at 2 p.m. or 8 p.m. at like midnight the night before” to the list.

YOU WANT PICKS? WE GOT PICKS.

The aforementioned Mr. Cunningham leads his weekend predictions by tackling Monday night’s big “Domecoming” anniversary party between the Falcons and Saints.

I won’t spoil that surprise for you, but here’s (part of) what he wrote about Georgia’s clash with Vandy and a certain former Bulldog commit:

• “The Commodores beat North Carolina State and lost, 21-15, at Auburn while giving up a touchdown on a blocked punt. Vandy freshman quarterback Jared Curtis will play better at Sanford Stadium than Oklahoma’s John Mateer. I like the ‘Dores with the points.”

They’re getting 24½ or 25½ of ‘em, by the way, depending where you look.

DawgNation’s Mike Griffith likes the Bulldogs to cover, despite Vandy’s plan to stop Georgia’s running game. Lots more (plus some “Bloody Tuesday” musings) in his weekly SEC picks.

OK FINE, HERE’S A COLLEGE FOOTBALL VIEWING GUIDE TOO

Saturday’s best matchups include these. Georgia Tech is, mercifully, enjoying a bye.

📺 Noon: No. 7 Alabama at No. 16 Mississippi State (ABC); No. 3 Notre Dame at North Carolina (ESPN)

• Vanderbilt at No. 2 Georgia (12:45 p.m., SEC Network)

📺 3:30 p.m.: No. 5 Ohio State at No. 14 Iowa (CBS); No. 8 Florida at No. 25 Missouri (ABC); Auburn at No. 17 Tennessee (ESPN)

📺 7:30 p.m.: No. 4 Miami at Clemson (ABC); No. 12 Texas Tech at Colorado (Fox)

More of an HBCU fan? We’ve got you covered, too.

KEEP ON DREAMING ON

For the first time ever, the Atlanta Dream have the WNBA’s Defensive Player of the Year. And for the first in nearly a decade, they have a chance to reach the WNBA Finals.

Angel “DPOY” Reese & Co. will have to go through a veteran-laden New York Liberty squad to make the second part happen.

• The Liberty entered the postseason as the No. 8 seed but made history by dispatching top-seeded Minnesota in their opening-round matchup.
• New York’s big three, if you will: Breanna Stewart (leading scorer, two-time MVP), Sabrina Ionescu (3-point assassin) and Jonquel Jones (2024 Finals MVP).
• That’ll be quite the test for a Dream team with limited postseason experience, though Atlanta did beat New York twice to close out the regular season.

“The biggest thing is staying locked in,” Dream guard Allisha Gray said. “We know the job’s not done.”

Here’s what we know of the schedule. It’s a best-of-five, with tipoff times and channels TBA.

• Game 1: Sunday at State Farm Arena
• Game 2: Wednesday at State Farm Arena
• Game 3: Oct. 9 in Brooklyn
• Game 4: Oct. 11 in Brooklyn*
• Game 5: Oct. 14 at State Farm Arena*

*If necessary