The Braves enter the home stretch with a win over the Dodgers

The Atlanta Braves got off to a strong start in the final stretch of the season with a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday at Truist Park, in a game that could mark the beginning of a decisive phase for their postseason hopes.

According to MLB, the win kicked off a 31-game stretch with which Atlanta will close out the regular season. The Braves entered the game having lost 10 of their last 16 games, although they had previously strung together a streak of eight consecutive wins.

The decisive moment came in the eighth inning. Matt Olson led off the inning with a double, and with two outs, Ozzie Albies singled off Tanner Scott to drive Olson home and put Atlanta back in the lead.

The Braves' offense had also started strong. Atlanta scored three runs in the first inning off Tyler Glasnow, who was making his first start since he began dealing with back issues on May 5. Mauricio Dubón, Michael Harris II, and Albies were all involved in driving in those runs.

For the Braves, Bryce Elder pitched six innings, allowing eight hits—all singles—and three runs. In the ninth inning, closer Raisel Iglesias earned the save despite allowing a triple to Shohei Ohtani to lead off the inning.

The victory carried added significance in the standings. Atlanta maintained a 3.5-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies, who are second in the National League East, and moved within three games of the Dodgers in the race for the second-best record in the National League—a position that would allow them to avoid the Wild Card round.