Tonight's Slate

Why the Dodgers. Over the full body of work, the Dodgers (100-62) grade out as the stronger club than the Braves (94-68). The Dodgers' relievers have the right stuff for this Braves lineup — the pitch-mix matchup runs their way late. The late innings tilt toward the Dodgers, whose available relievers carry a 3.33 ERA against 3.40 for the Braves.

The case for the Braves. The edge on the mound belongs to the Braves: Chris Sale (2.16 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 200 K) has been the better arm than Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2.53 ERA, 0.87 WHIP).

Notes. Los Angeles Dodgers note — Tommy Edman: Edman is absent from the lineup Tuesday for Game 3 of the NLDS in Atlanta. Atlanta Braves note — Mike Yastrzemski: Yastrzemski is absent from the lineup Tuesday for Game 3 of the NLDS against the Dodgers. Atlanta Braves' starter has looked sharper lately — missing more bats over his last 3 starts (36.6% called-strike+whiff rate, vs. 31.7% on the season). Teoscar Hernández is running cold over his last 10 games, batting .289 — .337 wOBA vs. a .403 season mark. Will Smith is running hot over his last 10 games, batting .343 — .449 wOBA vs. a .376 season mark. Matt Olson is running cold over his last 10 games, batting .171 — .245 wOBA vs. a .390 season mark.

Why the Padres. Nick Pivetta's arsenal plays well against how this Brewers lineup has handled similar pitch mixes. The edge on the mound belongs to the Padres: Nick Pivetta (2.86 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 42 K) has been the better arm than Dustin May (4.70 ERA, 1.32 WHIP). The late innings tilt toward the Padres, whose available relievers carry a 3.04 ERA against 3.11 for the Brewers.

The case for the Brewers. Over the full body of work, the Brewers (103-59) grade out as the stronger club than the Padres (91-71). The Brewers come in playing the better recent baseball, on both sides of the ball.

Notes. San Diego Padres note — Randy Vasquez: The Padres removed Vasquez from their NLDS roster Monday. Jake Bauers is running cold over his last 10 games, batting .229 — .278 wOBA vs. a .445 season mark. Jackson Merrill is running cold over his last 10 games, batting .263 — .268 wOBA vs. a .361 season mark.