LOS ANGELES (Interstat) — The Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers open a three-game series Friday night at Dodger Stadium, a matchup of two of the National League’s top teams.

Atlanta (26-12) has the best record in the majors, while Los Angeles (23-14) is close behind. The Braves lead the season series 1-0 after a 4-2 victory on April 8.

Left-hander Chris Sale (6-1) is scheduled to start for Atlanta. He is 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA over his past three outings. The Braves also have right-hander Emmet Sheehan (2-1) available. The Dodgers had not announced a starter as of Thursday.

Sale has held opponents to a .210 batting average this season. He is coming off a 5-2 win over Detroit on April 28, in which he allowed two runs over six innings.

Atlanta dropped its series finale at Seattle 3-1 on Wednesday. Martín Pérez started that game, allowing two earned runs over 5⅔ innings with five strikeouts. Pérez has been a key piece for the Braves, posting a 2.63 ERA over his past four starts, including a six-inning, four-hit shutout of Philadelphia on April 17.

The Dodgers are coming off a dominant 12-2 win at Houston on Wednesday, in which Andy Pages went 3-for-5 with three home runs and six RBIs. Pages has been red-hot, hitting .333 with four homers and eight RBIs over his past five games. He has reached base in 10 of his last 11 contests.

Both teams enter Friday on opposite trajectories: Atlanta has won six of its last 10, while Los Angeles has dropped four of its past six.

The Interstat game simulator projects a 7-5 Atlanta victory. The Braves are favored by 1.5 runs on the spread, with an over/under of 8.5. The ELO rating system gives the Dodgers a 61.7% probability of winning at home.

The series continues Saturday and Sunday. After this three-game set, Atlanta returns home for a six-game homestand against the Cubs and Red Sox. The Dodgers host the Giants for four games starting Monday.