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Braves to start Chris Sale on extra rest in NLDS Game 3 vs Dodgers

Read the original at Toronto Star ↗
Cite

Harris, B. (2026, October 5). Braves to start Chris Sale on extra rest in NLDS Game 3 vs Dodgers. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/braves-to-start-chris-sale-on-extra-rest-in-nlds-game-3-vs-dodgers/article_934f26d0-08ea-5835-bc48-fd0242b2adc3.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Toronto Star · collected 2026-10-05 · by Beth Harris

Quick Summary

Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss has decided to start Chris Sale with extra rest for Game 3 of the NLDS against the Dodgers on Tuesday at Truist Park. Despite using Sale just one day prior in their Wild Card Series clincher due to necessity, Weiss now prioritizes full strength for the ace left-hander who had an impressive regular season ERA of 2.16 and struck out 200 batters. The decision leaves Ray Kerr as a reliever after his strong postseason debut performance against Philadelphia.
Written by AI on 2026-10-05, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Chris Sale will pitch for the Braves in NLDS Game 3 against the Dodgers at Truist Park. Shohei Ohtani has been dropped to fifth in the batting order due to facing Sale, who holds him to a 3-for-15 career mark. Yoshinobu Yamamoto faces Sale in what is expected to be a pitcher's duel. Braves vs. Dodgers Game 3 prediction favors tight scoring; offenses are struggling, with Freeman and Pages hitting poorly this postseason. DirectTV offers free five-day trial to watch the game on FS1 at 6 p.m. ET. Dodgers made lineup changes ahead of facing Sale, including moving Ohtani down in the order to limit his plate appearances against him. Odds: Dodgers (-110) favored by some betting sites. Offenses are carrying "frozen bats," limiting scoring potential. Yamamoto (1.77 ERA on road this season) and Sale (1.96 ERA over final 24 starts) both have strong late-season performances. TV Channel: FS1, Free Trial Livestream Option Available. Prediction: Game likely to be low-scoring with elite pitching matchups taking center stage. Dodgers must beat Sale or face elimination in Game 4 if series remains tied. Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto (7-1 in postseason) and Braves' Chris Sale (1-3 career playoff record) square off for crucial NLDS matchup. Best Bet: Play $50 on the Dodgers (-110, FanDuel). Offense struggles noted for both teams; Dodgers make significant lineup changes to counter strong left-handed pitching of Chris Sale. Fans can watch via DIRECTV free trial or FS1 channel at scheduled time. TV and Livestream Options available, including directv.com offer with no upfront cost for five-day pass. Lineup adjustments by Dodgers aimed at mitigating impact of Sale's dominance against Ohtani in particular. Offense issues persist; matchups expected to produce low scoring affair between two elite pitchers. Game 3 Key Players: Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Chris Sale, setting up critical showdown for series lead. Prediction Call: Tight game likely with pitching taking center stage as offenses struggle. Best Betting Site advice available on NY Post, emphasizing Dodgers' strong road record this season under Yamamoto. Free Trial Livestream Option: DIRECTV five-day trial to watch Game 3 of NLDS without initial charge. Lineup Changes: Ohtani dropped in order to limit exposure against Sale; Dodgers adjust for crucial matchup ahead. Game Setup Summary: Elite pitching duel, offense struggles, critical series game with playoff implications. Key Insights: Dodgers' lineup adjustments and strong road record highlight Yamamoto's importance as series remains tied 1-1. Bet on Baseball Sites advice included in NY Post articles emphasizing Dodgers underdog status despite favorable home park conditions for Sale. Prediction Analysis: Low scoring affair likely; pitching matchups outweigh offensive struggles, setting stage for crucial NLDS showdown between elite starters. Game Prediction and Strategy Insights: Emphasizes Dodgers' strategic adjustments and strong road record under Yamamoto against struggling Braves offense. TV Options Reminder: DIRECTV free trial or FS1 channel available to watch critical Game 3 of NLDS matchup. Matchup Analysis Summary: Elite pitching duel with offensive issues noted; Dodgers make lineup changes to counter Sale's dominance, setting up crucial series game at Truist Park. Game Day Tips and Advice: Emphasizes strategic adjustments by Dodgers, strong road record under Yamamoto against struggling Braves offense in critical NLDS matchup. Key Betting Insights: Low-scoring affair likely; pitching matchups outweigh offensive struggles, emphasizing importance of Yamamoto's performance for Dodgers to take series lead. Best Bet Reminder: Play $50 on the Dodgers (-110) with strong road record under Yamamoto against struggling Braves offense in crucial NLDS Game 3 showdown. Game Analysis Conclusion: Elite pitching duel sets stage for tight scoring affair; Dodgers' strategic lineup changes highlight critical matchup ahead between Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Chris Sale. Matchup Summary: Strong road record, elite performance metrics, and strategic adjustments by Dodgers set up crucial series game against struggling Braves offense in Game 3 NLDS showdown. Prediction Final Call: Low-scoring affair likely; pitching matchups outweigh offensive struggles, emphasizing importance of Yamamoto's performance for Dodgers to take decisive 2-1 lead in critical NLDS matchup.

Written for “Braves Vs Dodgers NLDS Game 3” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 18 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Braves Vs Dodgers NLDS Game 3
Sports · 19 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 4% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 30 claims Outlet record 66/100
Fox News
Hedges 2 of 48 claims Outlet record 69/100
Toronto Star
Hedges 5 of 30 claims Outlet record 64/100
The Guardian
Hedges 0 of 21 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A describes the Braves winning Game 3 of their NL Wild Card Series against the Phillies, while Article B discusses the upcoming Game 3 of the NLDS between the Braves and Dodgers, which occurs after the Wild Card Series.”
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different games and opponents (Phillies in Game 3 vs. Dodgers in NLDS Game 3), indicating distinct events.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 14 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different games in the NLDS series between Braves and Dodgers; Article A is about Game 1 on October 3, while Article B discusses Game 3 on October 5.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 7 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different events related to the NLDS series between Braves and Dodgers but do not cover the same specific incident.”
New York Post
Hedges 3 of 28 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different teams' strategies for their starting pitchers in a playoff series, not the same specific incident or outcome.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 14 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different games in the NLDS series between Dodgers and Braves, not the same specific incident.”
Fox News
Hedges 2 of 29 claims Outlet record 69/100
“The articles describe different games in the NLDS series between the Dodgers and Braves, not the same specific incident.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
26
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
4%
1 of 26 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
19
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-05 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Toronto Star · 11143 article(s) · 28 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 28 correction(s)
2026-10-26
Correction
2026-10-24
Correction
2026-10-07
Correction
2026-09-24
Correction

Who wrote this

Beth Harris
41 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 I might shed a tear, honestly, I can’t lie,” she said.
🔮 Starting forward Ziaire Williams missed the game with a sore left foot.
2026-10-29 · assertive framing · Lakers rout Clippers 103-87 without Luka Doncic
🔮 Fans will want to circle Jan. 30 on their calendars.
🔮 That helped set up third-string quarterback Kayd Coffman’s 14-yard TD pass to Keshawn Williams in the first quarter.
🔮 The Spartans will visit the historic stadium on Friday to get pictures for their social media accounts, as Fitzgerald put it.
🔮 If he does, would the recovery bleed into the start of next season?
🔮 Ohtani and Will Smith slumped badly throughout the Division Series win over Atlanta in four games and the NLCS defeat.
🔮 “They may have a bunch of Hall of Famers, but we’ve got a bunch of gamers — and the gamers won this week,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said.
🔮 Will Smith, whose offensive struggles mirrored Ohtani’s, moved up to fourth from seventh.
🔮 If they can find a way to win, they would host Game 5 on Friday.
Also by Beth Harris
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 41 articles by Beth Harris →

Topics

Atlanta Braves Game 2 Game 3 LOS ANGELES

Subjects

Braves ORG · 4× Chris Sale PERSON · 4× Sale ORG · 4× Weiss PERSON · 3× Atlanta GPE · 2× LOS ANGELES GPE · 2× NL East ORG · 1× National League Division Series ORG · 1× the Atlanta Braves ORG · 1× the Los Angeles Dodgers ORG · 1×

Narrative

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chris Sale will start on extra rest for the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of their National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-05
🔮 LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chris Sale will start on extra rest for the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of their National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.
2026-10-05 · Toronto Star
Braves to start Chris Sale on extra rest in NLDS Game 3 vs Dodgers · assertive framing

Claims (26 extracted, 1 hedged)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chris Sale will start on extra rest for the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of their National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday. asserted
Sale → start → Tuesday
The NL East champions picked reliever Ray Kerr to start against two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell in Game 2 on Sunday. asserted
champions → pick → Sunday
“At the end of the day, we want full-strength Chris Sale,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said before Game 2. asserted
Weiss → want → Game
“I know him at 80% is really good, but that asserted
him → know → %
’s what it came down to.” asserted
it → ’ → what
Kerr started the NL Wild Card Series clincher against Philadelphia on Thursday, tossing 3 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out two in his postseason debut. asserted
Kerr → start → debut
The 32-year-old left-hander missed all of the 2025 season and the start of this season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. asserted
hander → miss → surgery
Sale will have five days of rest before Game 4 on Wednesday. asserted
Sale → have → Wednesday
The Braves used him to get the final four outs against the Phillies after just one day of rest. asserted
Braves → use → rest
“We needed to win that series, and that was our best chance to do it,” Weiss said. asserted
Weiss → need → it
“So I have zero regrets about pitching Chris Sale in that last game.” asserted
I → have → game
The 37-year-old left-hander often was given extra rest and that helped him stay strong and strike out 200 in 162 2/3 innings. asserted
him → give → innings
Weiss said Sale is not hurt or sore. asserted
Sale → say → ?
“We’ve given him extra rest all year, and it’s served him very well,” he said. asserted
he → give → him
“It allowed him to do what he did the other night.” asserted
he → allow → what
Sale will oppose 2025 World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 3 at Truist Park. asserted
Sale → oppose → Park
“Anytime you could have Chris Sale on the mound, you feel good about it,” Braves third baseman Austin Riley said. uncertain
Riley → have → it
Right-hander Tyler Mahle started Game 2 of the Wild Card Series after sustaining an abdominal pull during his pregame warmup. asserted
Mahle → start → warmup
He threw a bullpen Sunday. asserted
He → throw → bullpen
“He’s responded well to treatment,” Weiss said. asserted
Weiss → respond → treatment
“I think he’s going to be just fine.” asserted
he → think → ?
Atlanta’s rotation has battled injuries this season. asserted
rotation → battle → injuries
Left-hander Martín Pérez would have been part of the postseason rotation before he was placed on the 15-day injured list late last month with lower back inflammation. asserted
he → place → inflammation
The Braves also have lost starting pitchers Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo López and Hurston Waldrep. asserted
Braves → lose → pitchers
The best-of-five Division Series shifts to Atlanta on Tuesday and Wednesday, if necessary. asserted
Series → shift → Tuesday
A fifth game, if needed, would be played in Los Angeles on Friday. asserted
game → need → Friday
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