Sunday NLDS preview: King–Henderson at 4, Snell at 8 as Braves weigh their starter

Sunday’s Division Series schedule belongs entirely to the National League. Milwaukee and Los Angeles each lead their best-of-five series 1–0, and both can move within one win of the NLCS before the matchups shift to San Diego and Atlanta on Tuesday. The Brewers host the Padres at 4 p.m. ET; the Dodgers host the Braves at 8 p.m. ET. Both games are scheduled for FS1 and FOX One.

King meets Henderson in Milwaukee

San Diego sends Michael King against Logan Henderson at American Family Field. King finished the regular season 12–10 with a 3.21 ERA; Henderson went 11–3 with a 2.47 ERA. Their assignment is clear: give their teams a chance to control Game 2 without immediately turning another close contest over to the bullpen.

The Padres have recent evidence that King can do that. He held the Cubs to one hit over seven scoreless innings in Tuesday’s Wild Card opener. Henderson is making his postseason debut after finishing the regular season 5–1 with a 1.93 ERA over his final seven starts. Their different October résumés make this more than a comparison of season ERAs.

Saturday also supplied a practical warning for San Diego. The Padres collected nine hits in a 3–2 loss, yet left 12 runners aboard. Milwaukee’s relief corps covered five scoreless innings after Jacob Misiorowski exited following the fourth. More baserunners will help, but converting them matters most when the opposing bullpen has already shown it can protect a narrow margin.

Snell starts; Atlanta’s answer remains open

The Dodgers’ side of the evening pitching matchup is settled: Blake Snell follows Tarik Skubal. Atlanta had not announced its Game 2 starter in the official schedule or the latest team preview checked Sunday morning. Chris Sale remains under consideration after recording the final four outs of the Braves’ Wild Card clincher Thursday. He should be treated as a possibility until Atlanta confirms its choice.

Snell went 4–1 with a 1.90 ERA in nine regular-season starts during a season interrupted by injuries. Los Angeles is keeping Yoshinobu Yamamoto for Game 3 on Tuesday. That rotation order gives Snell the opportunity to send the Dodgers to Atlanta with two wins, while a Braves victory would leave the series level before its change of venue.

Atlanta’s late push Saturday is worth watching more closely than the final score alone. Ozzie Albies hit a two-run homer in the ninth, and the Dodgers needed both Tanner Scott and Evan Phillips to finish the 5–3 win. The Braves will try to create that pressure earlier Sunday. Los Angeles, meanwhile, will look for another productive night from an offense that opened the series with homers by Teoscar Hernández, Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy.

There are no American League games on Sunday’s official slate. The day’s two matchups will determine whether the NL’s first road games begin with both series tied, both home teams holding 2–0 leads, or one of each.