The Dodgers’ 2025 postseason star Yoshinobu Yamamoto will face a well-rested Braves ace Chris Sale Tuesday in a pivotal Game 3 of the best-of-five National League Division Series.

Reliever Ryan Kerr started Game 2, allowing the 2024 NL Cy Young Award winner Sale to avoid pitching for the third time in six days. The Dodgers are expected to counter with reigning World Series MVP Yamamoto, setting the stage for a rematch of an August pitching duel in Atlanta.

The series is tied 1-1 after the Braves’ 3-2 win Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. The teams remain in Atlanta for Game 4 on Wednesday before returning to Los Angeles for Game 5, if necessary.

The matchup of staff aces illustrates what’s at stake. The Game 3 winner in a best-of-five series tied 1-1 has gone on to win the series 48 of 67 times (71.6%) in postseason history.

“We want full-strength Chris Sale. I know him at 80 percent is really good, but that’s what it came down to,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “We’ve given him extra rest all year, and it’s served him very well.”

The 37-year-old Sale, who will be working on five days of rest. The Braves used him to get the final four outs against the Phillies in the wildcard series after just one day of rest, a factor that played into Weiss decision to start Kerr on Sunday.

The Dodgers last faced Sale Aug. 27 when the lefty tossed a five-hit shutout.

Sale was 14-9 with a 2.16 ERA in the regular season and his 96.1 mph average four-seam fastball velocity was a career high. The 37-year-old left-hander often was given extra rest and that helped him stay strong and strike out 200 in 162 2/3 innings.

“I know him at 80% is really good, but that’s what it came down to,” Weiss said before Game 2.

Game 3 will mark Yamamoto’s 2026 postseason debut. He started the Aug. 27 game against Sale and the Braves, giving up just one run through 6 1/3 innings in the 1-0 loss.

Left Tarik Skubal got the start in Game 1 for Los Angeles. In Game 2, Dodger starter Blake Snell was relieved by Brock Stewart after pitching 3 2/3 innings. Snell allowed one run, three hits, walking five and striking out five.

Manager Dave Roberts said the left groin tightness Snell suffered on Sept. 16 was not a factor in his short stint Sunday.

“He just was fighting himself with his delivery all game,” Roberts said. “I think the fastball was really good. The change-up was good at times. I think in total didn’t have fastball command, didn’t have slider command, and the change-up wasn’t there. He was pulling it.

“I think that just overall it wasn’t the groin. He just wasn’t sharp tonight.”

The temperature was 95 degrees when Snell threw the game’s first pitch at 5:03 p.m.