The Dodgers lead the series, but this pitching matchup gives the next game its own shape. Tyler Mahle has been a different pitcher since Atlanta leaned harder on his splitter, and his ability to work deep gives the Braves' late relievers a cleaner handoff. The games have been close enough that this starter-to-bullpen sequence matters more to me than the series score.
Mahle held Philadelphia to one run over seven innings in his first postseason outing. His stronger run with Atlanta followed a shift away from his cutter and toward the splitter. That gives Walt Weiss a way to keep the Dodgers' lineup from getting several looks at a long chain of relievers.
Atlanta's Game 2 win showed how that staff can finish a tight game. Ray Kerr opened it, Didier Fuentes carried the bulk of the late outs, and Michael Harris II supplied a triple and an RBI double. Mahle's length makes that pitching plan easier to repeat at Truist Park.
