LOS ANGELES — The Braves exited Atlanta with MLB\u2019s best record. Nine games and three cities later, they returned home looking to be even more formidable.<\/p>\n
Bryce Elder<\/a>\u2019s latest dominant start, a Mauricio Dub\u00f3n<\/a> three-run double and Eli White<\/a>\u2019s incredible catch helped the Braves claim a 7-2 win<\/a> over the Dodgers on Sunday afternoon. This was Atlanta\u2019s first series win at Dodger Stadium since 2023 and just their second series victory here in the past 14 seasons.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always a litmus test coming in here,\u201d Braves manager Walt Weiss said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to go through these guys if you’re going to do anything in the postseason. So it’s always a really difficult place to win games.\u201d<\/p>\n White was put in concussion protocol after his head continued to hurt during the next inning.<\/p>\n \u201cHe smacked the wall,\u201d Braves first baseman Matt Olson said. \u201cHe was putting it all out there to go make a grab. It was probably the biggest moment of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n With wins in the final two games of a three-game set against the Dodgers, the Braves concluded a 6-3 road trip. They lost two of three in Seattle to suffer this season\u2019s only series loss thus far. But thanks to impressive starts by Elder and Spencer Strider<\/a>, they exited Los Angeles with MLB\u2019s best record (28-13).<\/p>\n As the Braves prepare to host the 27-14 Cubs this week, here are a few reasons why they are stronger than they began this road trip more than a week ago:<\/p>\n Bryce is real and Strider is back<\/p>\n Strider worked out the kinks when made his season debut during this trip\u2019s second game. He looked more like the 2023 dominant version of himself<\/a> when he allowed one run and notched seven strikeouts over seven scoreless innings on Saturday. His re-emergence as a top-flight starter would significantly improve Atlanta\u2019s World Series hopes.<\/p>\n Chris Sale remains the staff ace. But Elder has also pitched like a frontline starter while posting a NL-best 1.81 ERA through his first nine starts. Elder recorded eight strikeouts and allowed just one hit over 5 2\/3 scoreless innings in this series finale against the Dodgers. He had no trouble before issuing three consecutive two-out walks in the sixth. This prompted the entry of Robert Suarez<\/a>, who exhaled when White grabbed Muncy\u2019s long drive in front of the wall.<\/p>\n The Braves entered Sunday ranked fourth in the Majors with a 3.11 starting pitching ERA. This group should be better with the addition of a healthy Strider.<\/p>\n High-leverage flexibility<\/p>\n