Chris Sale Starts For Atlanta Braves Against Dodgers In May 9 Set

The atlanta braves opened a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 9, 2026, with Chris Sale starting opposite Emmet Sheehan. Atlanta entered at 26-12, while Los Angeles came in at 23-14 and short on several regulars.

Sale’s Numbers For Atlanta Braves

Sale took the mound at 6-1 with a 2.14 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. He had allowed 10 earned runs all season, and six of them came in his lone Los Angeles start. In his other six outings, he had either worked a quality start or allowed one earned run or fewer.

The left-hander also carried a strong track record against Dodgers hitters. They were 11-for-69 against him in his career, a mismatch that helps explain why Atlanta chose him for a matchup that was built around the front end of a three-game set.

Dodgers Lineup Around Sheehan

Sheehan entered at 2-1 with a 5.23 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP, making his seventh outing of the year. He had allowed four or more earned runs in three of his six starts, but he also had held the Braves to three hits in 21 at-bats in a previous meeting.

Los Angeles had to navigate the opener without Edwin Díaz, Blake Snell, Mookie Betts, Enrique Hernández, and Tyler Glasnow because of injuries or being banged up. The club had also won the past two World Series before this season, and this matchup was framed as a meeting of two teams poised to compete for the National League pennant.

Braves Enter With Power And Run Prevention

Atlanta brought a.270 team batting average, 213 runs scored, a 3.22 ERA, and a 1.18 WHIP into the game. That blend gave the Braves a clear statistical profile: a club producing at the plate while also keeping runs off the board better than most lineups can manage.

The opener put those strengths in direct contact with a Dodgers team that had the record and the pedigree, but not the full healthy roster. For Atlanta, Sale’s start set the tone for the series; for Los Angeles, the first answer had to come from a young starter facing a lineup that had already done the job all season.