Braves aren’t close to Dodgers’ level, but they have time to get there

“It’s big when you win a game like that; it’s like, ‘You know, we’re pretty good, too,’” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “I think our whole club can take something away from that. We didn’t win the series, but this was a big win for us.”

Remember, the Braves were commonly deemed the greatest threat to the reigning champs entering the season, from analysts’ opinions to the betting markets to simply examining the on-paper rosters. If there were a spring-training superlative for “Most likely NL club to upend the Dodgers’ pricey super team,” the Braves seemed to be it.

Yet after a six-game sample, the Braves have clearly been inferior to the Dodgers. That doesn’t mean they will be by October.

“That’s the beauty of it,” said Braves third baseman Austin Riley, who homered twice Sunday. “I look back at ’21; it’s not always the best team on paper (that wins). It’s a crazy game; anything can happen. That’s the beauty of the game, that it’s not always the best team that wins. It’s the one that executes and gets the timely hits and plays good defense and pitches.”

The Braves and Dodgers have sparred quite a bit over the years, both the clear class of the NL over seven seasons. But not since 2018 — when the upstart Braves were the Dodgers’ postseason foil — has there felt like such a chasm between these clubs.

In six head-to-head games, the Braves were outscored 30-15. The losses came with variety: It once seemed the Braves would pull the final in L.A. off, then Shohei Ohtani completed the rally with a walk-off home run. It once appeared the Braves had a chance in a game that required just one of two strokes of luck; the Dodgers won, 2-1. Once the Braves sat through a three-hour rain delay only to be pummeled in a 10-3 Dodgers victory.

Whatever the flavor, it still tasted the same until the Braves held on Sunday. Baseball isn’t a sport that lends itself to small-sample size declarations, but it’s fair to say — at least for the moment — the Braves are nowhere close to the Dodgers.

That can change. As Riley suggested, no one would’ve claimed the 2021 Braves could equal the Dodgers before that postseason. But it’s also fair to acknowledge that run was basically a baseball miracle. Living in 2025 reality, the Braves haven’t looked like a postseason-caliber club for parts of the season, much less one worthy of challenging the reigning champs.

“I guess you could probably say (this is the most well-rounded the Dodgers have been),” Snitker said. “Their depth is probably as good as anybody’s in the game with what they can do, how they can manage a season.

“And the big thing is their stars star. They produce. There are no bumps in the road. Those guys produce. That’s why they’re so steady and good. It’s a good club. Their guys that are supposed to produce produce. They come up big in big moments.”

Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are perhaps the best trio to ever top a lineup. There’s concern in Los Angeles about the bottom of the order, but those are champagne problems. The Dodgers will figure out their best alignment by the postseason — and potentially acquire further reinforcements, if needed.

Only one of the Dodgers’ 5 through 9 hitters Sunday had an OPS over .800. Free-agent acquisition Michael Conforto hasn’t started to hit. Neither has mainstay Max Muncy. Catcher Will Smith was out of the lineup, and his replacement, Austin Barnes, has a .603 OPS. Tommy Edman, who was off to a brilliant start, is injured. Again, their depth provides them remarkable margin for error.

That includes their pitching staff, which has already been depleted by injuries to Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell. Still, their embarrassment of riches prevents disaster. They’ll use bullpen games. Clayton Kershaw is expected back relatively soon. If needed, they’ll acquire another arm. Tony Gonsolin, once an All-Star, and Dustin May, formerly a standout prospect, represent enviable depth.

“You look at the pitching staff, all the injuries and they’re still running out five aces,” Riley said. “They’re deep. The lineup is deep. On paper, they’re arguably the best team in this thing. They’re solid.”

The Braves are on the short list of teams that can come within the stratosphere of the Dodgers’ star power. But to Snitker‘s comment, Braves’ stars haven’t yet provided the same stability.

Outfielder Ronald Acuña and ace starter Spencer Strider, perhaps the two team’s most talented players, have been injured. First baseman Matt Olson has a sub-.800 OPS. Riley has recently started heating up. Second baseman Ozzie Albies has an OPS below .700. Outfielder Michael Harris, of whom so much was expected, has a .578 OPS.

Reigning Cy Young winner Chris Sale is sporting a 4.84 ERA. Spencer Schwellenbach has been knocked around to begin his highly anticipated sophomore season. The Braves lost the reliability of Max Fried (who’s been sensational in New York) and Charlie Morton (who’s been atrocious in Baltimore) and replaced neither. Even Iglesias had regressed from his stellar 2024.

Yet if it comes together, the Braves could be a behemoth.

“(The Dodgers) have really, really good hitters, but I think we do pretty well ourselves,” Braves starter Bryce Elder said. “Our bats have been so much better and getting going. Oly is coming. When he really gets going, I think it’s going to be scary again. It’s fun to watch, and I’m looking forward to it.”

The Braves’ ceiling remains one of a postseason threat. But it has an uphill climb following an 0-7 start. The team’s margin for error shrunk after its failures on the West Coast. Reasonable minds will cite how the season is still young, but that mindset holds for only so long.

And if the Braves never find their expected form, there will be some reevaluation regarding the team’s roster construction this winter. That’s a long way away, though, and this group has plenty of time to right itself and make an eighth straight postseason appearance.

The Dodgers will be waiting.

“We’re right there (with the Dodgers when we’re healthy and playing our best),” Snitker said. “I do (believe that).”