Dodgers Preview: Dodgers Begin 10-Game Road Gauntlet in Atlanta
Los Angeles Dodgers (21-10) versus Atlanta Braves (14-16)
ATLANTA— The Los Angeles Dodgers, fresh off their three-game sweep of the Miami Marlins, begin a season-long ten-game road trip, beginning in Atlanta, Georgia, against the Braves.
The Dodgers are riding high despite still not firing on all cylinders to begin the young 2025 regular season. Still, the Dodgers have six wins over their last ten games and are tied with the New York Mets for the most wins in Major League Baseball at twenty-one.
However, the Dodgers’ depth, particularly in the pitching department, will be tested on this road trip, which includes ten games in ten straight days, the longest stretch of games for the Dodgers this season.
With Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell out, the Dodgers have holes in their starting rotation. One of those holes was filled with the return of Tony Gonsoli,n who tossed six innings on Wednesday. The final spot is up in the air.
The team could opt for a bullpen game or two during the stretch, or consider stretching righty Ben Casparius out as a starter due to his dominant start to the season.
Regardless, they’ll face a new “Braves” team that has chipped away after starting out the season winless in their first seven games. However, since April 4th, the Braves have collected fourteen wins over their last twenty-three games.
Atlanta is an impressive 7-3 over their last ten games, including five straight series wins over the Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Colorado Rockies.
Pitching match-ups
Game One: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3-2, 1.06 ERA) vs Grant Holmes (2-1, 4.50 ERA)
Game Two: Roki Sasaki (0-1, 3.55 ERA) vs Spencer Schwellenbach (1-2, 2.87 ERA)
Game Three: Dustin May (1-1, 3.95 ERA) vs Bryce Elder (1-1, 5.33 ERA)
Game Times
Game One: 4:15 PM PT, SportsNet LA, FanDuel Sports Network South, FanDuel Sports Network Southeast, Gray TV, MLB Network (out-of-market only)
Game Two: 4:15 PM PT, FOX
Game Three: 4:10 PM PT, ESPN
Who’s in & who’s out?
While the Los Angeles Dodgers activated one starting pitcher in their rotation on Wednesday in Tony Gonsolin, they also lost a starter for the foreseeable future in righty Tyler Glasnow.
Glasnow, 30, was placed on the 15-day injured list this week due to right shoulder inflammation and will be shut down from throwing for the next 10-14 days and will then be reevaluated by the Dodgers’ training staff.
Left-handed starter Blake Snell will continue to be unable to throw after receiving an injection to alleviate the pain. The Dodgers are playing the long game with Snell’s injury, prioritizing October rather than the first half of the regular season.
Veteran lefty Clayton Kershaw also appeared in his third minor league rehab game on Wednesday, pitching five innings, allowing three runs on four hits for the Triple-A OKC Comets. Kershaw averaged just 87.5 mph fastball and is not eligible to be activated until May 17th.
Right-handed relief pitcher Michael Kopech has continued his throwing progression, which included throwing a bullpen. The next step would be to face live hitters and a rehab assignment before a possible late May activation.
Similar to Snell, the Dodgers are slow-playing right-handed relief pitcher Blake Treinen‘s rehab for his right forearm strain and have not resumed playing catch since being placed on the 15-day injured list on April 19th.
Lastly, Dodgers utilityman Tommy Edman is considered day-to-day according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts after tweaking his right ankle on April 29th against the Miami Marlins. The injury forced Edman to miss the series finale on Wednesday, but Roberts indicated that Edman will return to the lineup today in Atlanta.
Day-to-Day(1): Tommy Edman
60-day Injured List (10): Clayton Kershaw, Brusdar Graterol, Michael Grove, Gavin Stone, River Ryan, Kyle Hurt, Emmet Sheehan, Edgardo Henriquez, Blake Treinen, Michael Kopech
15-day Injured List (2): Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow
Unlike their last meeting in early April, the Atlanta Braves are the healthiest they’ve been this year minus right hamstring strain to right-handed pitcher Spencer Strider.
One name absent during the three-game series at Dodger Stadium was Atlanta Braves all-star catcher Sean Murphy. Murphy has been red hot for the Braves’ offense this year, hitting .250 with seven home runs since his activation.
Braves right-handed relief pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver is considered day-to-day after taking a 105.3 mph line drive off his right forearm. The righty had it wrapped as recently as April 30th in their series against the Colorado Rockies. There is no structural damage, and the righty stated his arm feels fine.
Spencer Strider, the Braves’ best pitcher, missed nearly all of last season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He is also on the injured list again for this series due to a strained hamstring he suffered while playing catch on April 21st.
Ronald Acuña Jr., the 2023 National League Most Valuable Player Award winner, is still a few weeks away from his return but was cleared to start ramping up all baseball activities after passing a series of physical tests in Los Angeles.
Acuña will return to Florida next week for strength and conditioning before going out on a minor league rehab assignment.
The Braves will also continue to be without top starter Reynaldo López, who was placed on the 60-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation and will be shut down from throwing for the next twelve weeks.
10-day Injured List (1): Ronald Acuña Jr.
15-day Injured List (1): Spencer Strider
60-day Injured List (2): Nacho Alvarez Jr., Reynaldo López
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