Dodgers vs. Braves Prediction, MLB Picks for NLDS Game 3 – Tuesday, October 6

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves continue their best-of-five National League Division Series at 6:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, October 6, and the matchup will air on FS1. The Dodgers are slight road favorites with a 1.85x payout if they win outright, per PrizePicks.

The Dodgers and Braves have split the first two games of this series. Los Angeles won Game 1 behind a strong start from SP Tarik Skubal, 5-3, but Atlanta would bounce back in Game 2 by cobbling together a bullpen game with six different relievers for a 3-2 win.

A potential pitching duel awaits on Tuesday, as SP Yoshinobu Yamamoto will take the mound for the Dodgers while the Braves will bring out their ace, SP Chris Sale. Which team will take this crucial Game 3?    

Below, we'll break down our Dodgers vs. Braves prediction and picks for Tuesday’s NLDS Game 3 matchup, including the run line, over/under, and key player picks for PrizePicks.

Make your Dodgers vs. Braves picks on PrizePicks now!

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Dodgers vs. Braves Prediction, Winner Payout, Over/Under for NLDS Game 3

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is set to make his first start of these playoffs for the Dodgers following another strong regular season.

Over 28 starts, Yamamoto posted a stellar 2.94 xERA (90th percentile), per Baseball Savant. Although his 25.7% strikeout rate was slightly down from the previous season, that was still good enough to land in the 71st percentile, and he balanced that with an excellent 5.9% walk rate (90th percentile).

The right-hander also did a solid job limiting loud contact behind a 48.6% ground-ball rate (81st percentile), 35.5% hard-hit rate (71st percentile), and 6.5% barrel rate (67th percentile). While he saw a slight uptick in home runs allowed this year, no one is complaining about 0.97 HR/9.

The Braves will roll out lefty Chris Sale, who’s already making his third appearance of this postseason. In Game 1 of the NL Wild Card, Sale held the Philadelphia Phillies to 3 earned runs over 6.1 innings with 9 strikeouts. He then helped close out the series in Game 3 by coming out of the bullpen and holding the Phillies scoreless over the final 1.1 innings.

The 37-year-old proved he still has plenty left in the tank in the regular season by recording a fantastic 2.97 xERA (89th percentile), 30.9% strikeout rate (94th percentile), and 4.8% walk rate (97th percentile). He was probably a bit lucky to allow 0.55 HR/9 due to a rather low 7.0% HR/FB rate, but he did do a good job suppressing barrels at a 6.2% clip (74th percentile).

In addition to having top-notch starters tonight, both teams boast quality bullpens. According to FanGraphs, the Dodgers’ active relievers combined for a 3.01 xERA in the regular season, while the Braves’ arms were at 3.36.

At the plate, Los Angeles averaged the fourth-most runs per game (4.93) this year and ranked first in xwOBA (.345) in the regular season. Atlanta averaged the ninth-most runs (4.56) and was seventh in xwOBA (.321). Pitching has mostly won out so far in this series, though, with neither game exceeding 8 total runs.   

Dodgers vs. Braves Winner Payout, Over/Under – Tuesday, October 6

The Dodgers enter Tuesday’s game as a road favorite against the Braves, returning a 1.85x payout if they win outright, via PrizePicks.

Here are the full payouts for the Dodgers vs. Braves game on PrizePicks.

Make your Dodgers vs. Braves prediction on the winner on PrizePicks.

PrizePicks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.

Dodgers vs. Braves Prediction on Winner for NLDS – 10/6/26

Here are the key game stats and trends behind our Dodgers vs. Braves prediction on the winner for Tuesday, October 6.

• Over the final month of the regular season, the Braves’ bats ranked just 23rd in wRC+ (88) and 19th in xwOBA (.301). On the other hand, the Dodgers finished on a high note, producing the second-best wRC+ (121) and best xwOBA (.343). Los Angeles was without DH Shohei Ohtani for much of September, too.
• In its five games so far this postseason, Atlanta has put up a modest 91 wRC+. 1B Matt Olson has a 31.8% strikeout rate, while OF Ronald Acuna has 0 extra-base hits.
• Yamamoto logged a fantastic 2.40 xERA, 28.2% strikeout rate, and 6.2% walk rate over the last two months in the regular season. 
• Sale’s last start was a week ago, so he should theoretically be well-rested. However, his added relief appearance last Thursday came on just a day of rest, and it’s possible that change in routine could affect him at 37 years old.
• The Dodgers might go with a righty-heavy lineup against Sale. While the southpaw has been lethal against both sides of the plate this season, his 3.12 xFIP versus righties isn’t nearly as scary as his 1.87 xFIP in same-handed matchups. 

Lock in your Dodgers vs. Braves prediction on PrizePicks before the first pitch.

Dodgers vs. Braves Picks, Player Stats for PrizePicks: 10/6/26

Here are the top Dodgers vs. Braves picks to target on PrizePicks on Tuesday, October 6. Today’s MLB picks for PrizePicks include Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Ozzie Albies.

Dodgers SP Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. Braves: 6 Strikeouts

• Over his last seven starts, Yamamoto has tallied 9, 9, 8, 8, 10, 7, and 4 strikeouts. One of those 8-strikeout performances came against the Braves on August 27.
• As noted earlier, his K rate was up over the final two months of the season (28.2%). 
• The Braves have mostly been a neutral matchup for punchouts this season. They have a 22.5% strikeout rate so far this postseason.
• The Dodgers typically aren’t afraid to give Yamamoto a long leash. He’s gone over 100 pitches in 13 of his 28 starts.
• Yamamoto has gone under 6.0 innings only three times all season. He’s logged at least 5.0 innings in every single start.

Add Yoshinobu Yamamoto + Dodgers to win to your PrizePicks lineup now.

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Braves 2B Ozzie Albies vs. Dodgers: 3.5 Fantasy Score

• Albies posted mostly unspectacular numbers during the regular season, but he's been one of the Braves' hottest hitters in the playoffs. Over 22 plate appearances, he's recorded a .495 wxOBA with 7 hard hits and 3 barrels. He's also produced a 22.7% walk rate.
• Over those five games, he's scored 18, 5, 18, 18, and 2 fantasy points.
• Despite modest Statcast metrics, Albies still managed to hit 22 home runs during the regular season.
• Much like he's done for most of his career, Albies remains difficult to strike out with a 15.4% K rate (83rd percentile).
• The Braves have mostly faced left-handed starters in the postseason, so it remains to be seen how high up Albies hits tonight, but his recent play could keep him in the heart of the batting order.

Pick Ozzie Albies + Braves to win on PrizePicks!

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The Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves have a pair of aces duking it out for NLDS Game 3. Which team will take a series lead tonight?

Don’t wait until the first pitch — make your Dodgers vs. Braves picks on PrizePicks now and earn real money if you’re right.

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