Why Braves All-Star infielder could 'hold them back' from Dodgers postseason upset

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Why Braves All-Star infielder could 'hold them back' from Dodgers postseason upset originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Atlanta Braves have emerged as an early World Series contender, tied with the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs for the best winning percentage in baseball. 

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But the Los Angeles Dodgers are always lurking, no matter how unserious they treat the regular season. 

For the Braves to dethrone the Dodgers in 2026, FanSided's Zachary Rotman wrote Thursday that an All-Star infielder will have to step up his game. 

"For [Ozzie] 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," Rotman wrote. 

With a .915 OPS and eight home runs in 38 games, Albies is enjoying a resurgent season at the plate. The second baseman was a key piece of Atlanta's World Series-winning season in 2021. 

But there are concerns about his previous struggles against the Dodgers. 

"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," Rotman added. "Predictably, his numbers against some of the Dodgers' elite pitchers are not good." 

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Come October, the Dodgers figure to have a four-man rotation in a best-of-seven series that includes Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow. 

That's daunting for any opposing hitter, but Albies can give the Braves a significant chance to win if he finds his stroke at the plate against Los Angeles. 

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