The Atlanta Braves fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 on Tuesday night, marking their sixth consecutive loss to start the season. Across their six games, the Braves have scored just nine runs, with only two coming in their last 40 innings.

Atlanta’s sole run of the night came in the first inning, courtesy of a defensive mishap by Mookie Betts. While attempting to complete a double play, Betts bobbled a throw, allowing the Braves to score.

The Dodgers took control in the sixth inning. Shohei Ohtani singled, setting the stage for Mookie Betts to hit a two-run homer, giving Los Angeles a 2-1 lead. Later in the inning, Will Smith added to the Dodgers’ advantage with an RBI single, bringing the score to its final tally of 3-1.

Chris Sale, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, started for Atlanta. He pitched five innings, allowing three runs on four hits while striking out five. After a stellar season last year, Sale’s ERA now sits at 5.40 following his first two starts.

Atlanta's top-performing qualified hitter, Marcell Ozuna, is hitting just .214. Jurickson Profar, the only other qualified holding at least a .200 average, being at exactly .200, has been suspended for testing positive for using banned substances, further depleting an already thin outfield.

Although it's still early in the season, the Braves’ place in the highly competitive NL East heightens the importance of every game. Both the Braves, along with the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, were projected by FanDuel to win over 91 games, making the division race particularly tight.