Friday, May 8, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

Facing Chris Sale, the Dodgers knew runs would be at a premium, so they took advantage of every scoring opportunity.

On a beautiful Friday night at Dodger Stadium, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves, 3–1. They widened their lead in the National League West.

Emmet Sheehan has struggled throughout this season because of mechanical problems. On Friday, he relied on his better-than-average fastball to strike out seven in 4.2 innings. He allowed one run on six hits. His command was better than at any point this season. He kept his team in the game.

Alex Vesia, Kyle Hurt, Will Klein, Brock Stewart, and Tanner Scott pitched in 4.1 scoreless innings in relief.

Going into this series against the Braves, the best team in the National League East, the Dodgers’ offense has been inconsistent. In the second inning, Teoscar Hernández singled and scored on Kyle Tucker’s double.

In the fifth inning, Miguel Rojas reached on an errant throw, and Shohei Ohtani’s single brought him home.

For the first time in a year, Sale allowed a home run to a left-handed hitter when Freddie Freeman hit his 100^th solo home run as a Dodger.

In Oklahoma City, Mookie Betts went 1-for-3, and Kiké Hernández went 0-for-3.

On Saturday, while Blake Snell makes his 2026 debut, the Dodgers will look to win the series against the Braves.