LOS ANGELES — The Atlanta Braves’ first cross-country trip this year will also be their last until a seven-game swing in July that will take them back out West and lead right up to the MLB All-Star break.
Right now, they could use a break themselves.
Shohei Ohtani went 4-for-4 with two home runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Braves 5-1 on Sunday afternoon, completing a sweep of a three-game set between teams that entered the series as National League division leaders.
The Dodgers (23-13) remain just that with a 5 1/2-game edge on the San Diego Padres in the NL West, a division Los Angeles won the past two years and in 10 of the past 11 seasons.
The Braves are six-time reigning champions in the NL East, but after falling to 20-12, they find themselves chasing the Philadelphia Phillies. Atlanta entered this past week without back-to-back losses in 2024, but the Braves went 1-2 against the Seattle Mariners before heading to Dodger Stadium, and they have now lost six of their past eight games overall dating to last weekend’s series win against the Cleveland Guardians at Truist Park.