The Los Angeles Dodgers will be the favorites to win the World Series until a team dethrones them in October, but the Atlanta Braves figure to have as good a chance as any to do just that. Despite a slew of pitching injuries and poor play from stars like Ronald Acuña Jr. (when healthy) and Austin Riley, the 26-12 Braves have a better record than Los Angeles and the 29 other teams as well. They’ve been dominant and seemingly have room to improve once they get healthier.

For them to beat the Dodgers in October, though, everything is going to have to go their way. This weekend’s series between these powerhouses will be fun to watch, but these four players could get in the way of doing what many other teams have failed to do in the past couple of years when it really counts.

RHP Raisel Iglesias

Raisel Iglesias has been dominant when he’s been healthy enough to pitch, throwing 9.2 scoreless innings across nine appearances and converting each of his six save opportunities. He’s picking up where he left off down the stretch of the 2025 season and has been as good as any reliever in the game. Iglesias has been consistently reliable throughout his career, but he hasn’t had quite as much luck against the Dodgers.

His 5.31 ERA against the Dodgers is his third-highest against any team he’s thrown at least 10 innings against and the highest against any team he’s thrown at least 20 innings against. He pitched pretty well against them for the most part in 2025, but his numbers against Los Angeles aren’t pretty. His numbers against some Dodgers key hitters are even worse.

The only players here that Iglesias has had some measure of success against are Freddie Freeman, who has still gotten on base against Iglesias in four of his 13 plate appearances, and Andy Pages, who is a much different hitter now than he was in the past. Iglesias has struggled in particular against Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Tucker and Will Smith, three key cogs in Los Angeles’ well-oiled machine.

For the Braves to lock down wins, they’re going to need their bullpen, which has been impeccable to this point, to be so in October. Robert Suarez has had his share of ups and downs against Los Angeles, too, making life even harder for Atlanta.

2B Ozzie Albies

Ozzie Albies’ resurgence has played a major role in the Braves having the best offense in the league thus far, as he’s slashing .322/.374/.541 with eight home runs and 23 RBI this season. He’s been hitting both righties and lefties extremely well, and has entrenched himself in the No. 2 and No. 3 spots in Walt Weiss’ lineup. For Albies to be as helpful for the Braves in a potential series against the Dodgers as he’s been this season, he’s going to have to get over his Los Angeles demons.

Albies’ .646 OPS is his fourth-lowest mark against any team he’s had at least 100 plate appearances against, and he’s been even worse at Dodger Stadium, as his .584 OPS would suggest. Predictably, his numbers against some of the Dodgers’ elite pitchers are not good.

It’s worth noting that Albies has not faced Shohei Ohtani yet and that he has had some success, albeit in limited action, against guys like Emmet Sheehan and Tanner Scott, but for the most part, against the pitchers he figures to see in a postseason series, it’s been mostly ugly for Albies. He’d loom as a major X-Factor in a potential series against the Dodgers, and if history is any indication, that isn’t a good thing.

RHP Bryce Elder

Bryce Elder has been one of the best stories in the sport thus far, going from a guy who Braves fans wanted DFA’d to a savior in Atlanta. Elder has a 2.02 ERA in eight starts, the third-lowest mark in the NL, and he’s allowed three runs or fewer each time he’s taken the mound, completing six innings in all but two of his outings. As good as Elder has been, can we talk about the quality of competition he’s faced for a minute?

Elder can only face those who are on the schedule, but there’s only one high-end offensive team here based on 2026 results, and I’m not sure how many teams truly fear the Washington Nationals lineup, with all due respect. Elder has not faced a team like the Dodgers. I don’t doubt that he has taken a step forward, but I’ll believe he’ll pitch a quality start against a team like the Dodgers in the postseason when — or should I say if — it happens.

3B Austin Riley

While virtually everyone on the Braves has performed well thus far, the same cannot be said about Austin Riley, who is off to one of the worst starts of his career. The two-time All-Star is slashing .203/.277/.350 with five home runs and 22 RBI. It’s early, but Riley hasn’t performed at an elite level since 2023. It’s starting to get concerning.

Riley not looking like the player he’s expected to be is one thing, but he hasn’t done much against the Dodgers’ pitching. Now, his numbers against the Dodgers organization in his career aren’t bad, but his numbers against the Dodgers’ current arms are not good.

Riley has only gone 1-for-7 combined against Emmet Sheehan, Roki Sasaki and Blake Treinen, too. He’s had marginal luck against Yamamoto and Ohtani, but not much to speak of against anyone else, and many of these at-bats came when Riley was swinging a much better bat than he is right now. Riley has already been bumped down in the Braves’ order, and he might have to be bumped further if the Braves want to beat the Dodgers in October, barring major signs of life from the 29-year-old.

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