Yamamoto puts Dodgers up 2-1 on Braves; Padres stave off elimination against Brewers
Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out 10 and Kiké Hernández and Freddie Freeman homered as Los Angeles beat Atlanta 3-1. In San Diego, Jake Cronenworth’s homer and two relief innings from Game 2 starter Michael King gave the Padres a 4-3 win. Both NL Division Series play Game 4 on Wednesday.
Dodgers 3, Braves 1 (Atlanta): Yamamoto allowed one run and four hits over seven innings and struck out a postseason career-high 10 in Tuesday’s Game 3 at Truist Park, outdueling Braves ace Chris Sale, MLB.com and ESPN reported. Hernández, making his first start of this postseason at third base, hit a two-run homer off Sale in the fourth, and Freeman followed two batters later with a solo shot, his second homer in as many games. Atlanta’s only run came in the fifth on Drake Baldwin’s groundout. Edwin Díaz pitched the ninth for the save, per ESPN’s box score. Sale took the loss after allowing three runs in five innings.
Where the series stands: After Tuesday’s game, the Dodgers lead 2-1 and are one win from the NL Championship Series. The Braves have scored seven runs in three games, MLB.com noted, and are set to start Tyler Mahle at home in Game 4.
Padres 4, Brewers 3 (San Diego): Cronenworth broke a tie with a solo homer on JoJo Romero’s first pitch of the fifth, and King, who started Game 2 two days earlier, pitched the eighth and ninth in his first relief outing of the season, the AP reported. Xander Bogaerts ended it with a double play at shortstop before 47,708 fans at Petco Park. William Contreras homered and had three hits for Milwaukee. San Diego’s closer, Mason Miller, was unavailable after being placed on the paternity list just before the game, MLB.com said.
A rough road record: The loss was Milwaukee’s 12th straight postseason road defeat, dating to the 2018 NLCS, matching a major league record shared by the Senators and Twins franchise, MLB.com reported. All three games of the series have been decided by one run.
Next up: The Brewers lead 2-1. Game 4 is Wednesday night in San Diego, and a Game 5, if needed, would be Friday in Milwaukee, the AP said. Dodgers-Braves Game 4 is Wednesday in Atlanta, and the AL Division Series resume with Game 3s, with the Rays and White Sox each up 2-0.
Sources
- AP News — Yamamoto dominates matchup with Sale as Dodgers beat Braves 3-1 to take 2-1 lead in NLDS
- MLB.com — Braves-Dodgers NLDS Game 3 takeaways
- ESPN — Dodgers 3-1 Braves (Oct 6, 2026) box score
- AP News — Padres avoid elimination, beat Brewers 4-3 in NLDS Game 3
- ESPN — Padres 4-3 Brewers (Oct 6, 2026) game recap
- MLB.com — Brewers lose Game 3 of 2026 NLDS
- Baseball-Reference — 2026 NLDS Game 3, Brewers vs. Padres box score