From the start, the Atlanta Braves knew that they would be going with a bullpen game in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.

The unexpected twist: The Dodgers essentially had to do the same thing, as well.

After a rather straightforward victory in the opening game of this best-of-five series, nothing went according to plan for the Dodgers on Sunday.

Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. celebrates with teammates after scoring off an RBI single by Mauricio Dubón during the first inning of Game 2 of a National League Division Series baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

Blake Snell failed to complete four innings, grinding through poor command and long at-bats in a start that included only one run but also five walks. 

The relief corps was saddled with a heavy workload, turning another sweltering night at Chavez Ravine into a sweat-inducing battle of the bullpens.

And after the Dodgers gift-wrapped the Braves a run in the fifth inning, when Teoscar Hernández turned a fly ball down the line into a triple and Kris Bubic threw a run-scoring wild pitch, the two-time defending champions found themselves on the back foot for the first time this fall.

In a 3-2 loss, they wouldn’t recover.

Instead, a series the Dodgers seemed to have under control coming into Sunday has quickly been flipped on its head.

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Max Muncy hits a solo home run against the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning. Wally Skalij for CA Post

The Braves’ decision to save staff ace Chris Sale for Game 3 –– the highly-debated pre-game talking point –– now looks prescient. The Dodgers’ decision to start Snell in Game 2, and not Yoshinobu Yamamoto, might now be questionable.

And while the Braves had to burn through the heart of their bullpen, using six different arms to piece together 27 outs, so too did the Dodgers, who summoned six relievers of their own in a losing effort.

With Game 3 set for Tuesday night back in Atlanta, this 1-1 series suddenly appears to be up for grabs.

“We knew it was going to be a battle,” manager Dave Roberts said. “We knew those guys weren’t going to go down.”

Still, it’s hard not to feel like what really happened Sunday was the Dodgers letting a previously dazed Braves squad climb back off the mat.

I felt really good where we were at,” Roberts added. “We just couldn’t execute as the game progressed.”

Atlanta Braves Michael Harris celebrates his triple against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fifth inning. Wally Skalij for CA Post

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Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani watches from the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the fourth inning of Game 2 of the NLDS in Los Angeles, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. Wally Skalij for CA Post

Really, the Dodgers were behind from the start on Sunday, with Snell –– who had previously pitched just five innings since Sept. 11 because of a groin injury, yet got the nod for Game 2 to remain on his regular pitching schedule –– giving up a quick run in the first.

The Braves loaded the bases with one out, on a single from Ronald Acuña Jr. and two walks from Snell, before Mauricio Dubón got a run home on an infield knock –– sending a ground ball deep into the hole at shortstop that Mookie Betts fielded, but made an errant throw to first on.

Snell ultimately limited the damage there, but required 27 pitches in doing so, putting him on track for his short, inefficient start.

“He just was fighting himself with his delivery all game,” Roberts said of Snell, who was not in the Dodgers’ clubhouse postgame because of what the team said was a family matter. “It wasn’t the groin. He just wasn’t sharp tonight.”

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell comes out of the game against the Atlanta Braves in the fourth inning of Game 2 of the NLDS Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. Wally Skalij for CA Post

The bigger problem was the Dodgers’ inability to get to the Braves’ bullpen, starting with left-handed opener Ray Kerr.

Showing no signs of fatigue just two days removed from a heroic 47-pitch outing in Game 3 of the wild-card series, Kerr gave Atlanta unexpected length.

The former minor-league worked all the way into the third without damage. He struck out four batters. He even got Shohei Ohtani out twice, including on a first-inning punchout with an inside fastball.

“I think with Shohei, if you look at the at-bats, there’s a lot of chase,” Roberts said of Ohtani, who has managed just two singles so far this series while continuing to play through right arm and left knee injuries.

“I haven’t heard anything other than he feels fine [physically]. So I don’t know if he’s trying to do too much because he doesn’t feel perfect. But this time of year, no one feels perfect. He’s doing the best he can.”

Trouble was brewing in Kerr’s final frame, after Miguel Rojas –– inserted into the starting lineup in place of Max Muncy to counteract the southpaw –– roped a full-count curveball down the line for a leadoff double.

But, in a maddening sequence of situational ineffectiveness, the Dodgers couldn’t take advantage.

Tommy Edman popped up on a bunt, as part of a second-straight hitless performance. Ohtani popped out on another chase, after missing a center-cut pitch earlier in the at-bat. Will Smith rolled over on a first-pitch slider, contributing to his team-worst 0-for-8 mark this weekend.

“We had opportunities,” Roberts said. “We just couldn’t get a hit when we needed to.”

It would become the theme of the night, with the Dodgers going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position while stranding seven men on base.

So far this series, all seven of their runs have come via homers.

“Got to find a way to score some runs without hitting a home run,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “I think that’s our biggest thing right now.”

Atlanta Braves pitcher Ray Kerr throws during the first inning. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Freeman did hit a home run in the bottom of the fourth –– a positive sign after belting just one in his final 66 regular-season games while battling a right knee injury –– lifting a low slider from right-hander Grant Holmes over the wall in right to tie the score at 1-1.

But there would be another missed chance later in the inning, with high-leverage Atlanta left-hander Dylan Lee stranding a pair of runners, before the Dodgers fell right back behind in the fifth on the miscues from Hernández and Bubic.

Off the bat, Hernández appeared to have a bead on a slicing opposite-field, two-out line drive from Michael Harris II. But the ball kept drifting away from him, evading his outstretched glove before rattling around in the corner for a triple.

“I didn’t break in, but I broke to the side. And then when I realized, it was too late,” Hernández said. “I still thought I had a shot at it, but it just kept carrying.”

Three pitches later, Bubic airmailed a sweeper that catcher Will Smith couldn’t handle. The self-inflicted wound left the Dodgers trailing again, 2-1.

“I just lost it out of hand,” Bubic said. “It’s never an ideal situation, but especially with a runner on third there.”

From then on, the rest of the game was a frustrating grind, with the Dodgers facing one stout reliever after the next.

In the bottom of the fifth, hard-throwing right-hander Robert Suarez inherited a two-on, no-out jam but escaped unscathed, ending the inning on a 50/50 check swing call that went against Hernández.

After that, another rocket-armed righty, 21-year-old Didier Fuentes, went nine up, nine down over three scoreless innings –– all while the Braves extended their lead on a two-out RBI double Harris smacked against a dead-red cutter from Edgardo Henriquez in the seventh.

“Bullpen games are hard,” Freeman said. “You’re facing a different arm every single time you’re going up there. It’s different angles, different velocities, different things.”

Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernandez cannot reach the ball on a triple by Atlanta Braves’ Michael Harris in the fifth inning of Game 2 of the NLDS Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. Wally Skalij for CA Post

The last arm the Dodgers faced wouldn’t come until two outs in the ninth, after the Braves sent Fuentes back to the mound for a fourth inning of work, watched him finally give up a home run to Muncy, then summon veteran closer Raisel Iglesias for the final out.

That came way of pinch-hitting rookie phenom Josue De Paula, who pop up in fould ground right in front of the Dodgers’ dugout for the final out.

They trudged back to the clubhouse, while the Braves reveled in an unforeseen win.

“Getting the split in this place against these guys, yeah, it’s awesome,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “We’re in a good position. We’ve got Chris Sale lined up

Indeed, the Dodgers have now squandered their home-field advantage. They no longer hold a clear pitching edge, either.

Sale (who shut out the Dodgers in August) will face Yamamoto in an epic –– and pivotal –– Game 3 showdown. Tyler Mahle (who had a sub-2.00 ERA after a deadline trade to the Braves) and Tyler Glasnow are scheduled for Game 4.

“We all knew it was going to be a good series,” Freeman insisted.

By Sunday night, at least, it certainly was.

But that was a stark change from the control and momentum the Dodgers had began the day with.

“We know what’s at stake on Tuesday,” Freeman added. “We need to get that win.”