Walt Weiss puts on masterclass as Braves even series with Dodgers

The Atlanta Braves once again found a way to defy expectations on Sunday night, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 in a road game that appeared to be heavily in favor of the home team. Much of the credit for the Braves finding their way to victory has to be put on the shoulders of manager Walt Weiss pushing all of the right buttons and helping the Braves find a way to upset the two-time defending champs. Now, the series flips to Atlanta with Chris Sale getting the ball in game three and all of the sudden the Braves have the stage set to stun the champs.

This isn't possible if not for Weiss thinking outside the box and utilizing his bullpen perfectly, with Ray Kerr once again setting the tone. Grant Holmes would get the next chance, with the hope being that the starter would find a way to offer extended quality innings. Instead, Holmes gave up a homer to Freddie Freeman and set up a jam that forced Weiss to make a quick change.

Dylan Lee, Robert Suarez, Didier Fuentes, and Raisel Iglesias would combine to eat the final 5.2 innings, with Fuentes doing the heavy lifting. While the young pitcher would eat the most innings, it was Lee and Suarez both wiggling out of jams that had Los Angeles set up to take control of the game.

Instead, Weiss pushed all of the right buttons at the perfect moment and allowed Atlanta to steal a road game they weren't expected to be competitive in. It had the feeling of a game that flipped the series and pushed the Braves on a possible World Series run.

Braves Manager Walt Weiss Deserves Immense Credit for Helping Atlanta Steal Game Two

With that said, it is important to note that it is still an uphill battle for the Braves, as they will face two aces in each of the next two games. What helps offset this is the fact that Sale is going to be back on the mound, and your bullpen will have a day of rest to reset after covering so many innings in the first two games of the series.

Aside from Fuentes, the Braves should have their full bullpen ready to go to back Sale. This is an elite setup for Atlanta and points to the job that Weiss has done with one hand tied behind his back, as the manager is missing the majority of a rotation that was expected to be a strength in the 2026 season.

While this hasn't gone according to plan, the Braves are doing exactly what they have done for the bulk of the 2026 season. This is finding ways to win games no matter the assumed degree of difficulty, leaning on clutch hitting and a bullpen that has a chance to send the two-time defending champs home.

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