The Atlanta Braves are one of the best teams in baseball thus far, but there's plenty of time for that to change. That's why they must assert themselves against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs over the next five games.

Entering Saturday night, the Braves are tied with the New York Yankees for the second-best record in baseball at 26-13, one game behind the Cubs. They're 1.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who beat them 3-1 in Friday's series opener.

Atlanta will play Los Angeles on the road again on Saturday and Sunday before hosting Chicago from Tuesday to Thursday. If it wins both series, it'll show that its hot start is no fluke.

Although the Braves deserve credit for that start, they haven't beaten any squad in the top eight slots of the MLB standings (excluding themselves). Their upcoming slate gives them the chance to change that.

Atlanta's strength of schedule by win percentage is .490 thus far, which ranks 20th in baseball, per ESPN. That's not the team's fault, but it also must beat the best opponents to be taken seriously as a championship contender.

One factor that would help Atlanta beat the two-time defending champions on Saturday is a quality start by right-handed pitcher Spencer Strider. The 27-year-old allowed three runs on four hits over 3.1 innings in his season debut against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday, which the Braves won 11-6.

Strider began the season on the injured list with an oblique strain, a continuation of the adversity he's faced since hurting his UCL in 2024. The 6-foot, 195-pounder struggled when he returned last year, finishing 7-14 with a 4.45 ERA over 23 starts.

Atlanta needs the 2023 version of Strider. The Tennessee native led baseball with 20 wins and 281 strikeouts that year while notching a 3.86 ERA over 32 starts.

If that happens, the Braves would have a lethal trio of ace Chris Sale (6-2, 2.20 ERA), Strider, and right-hander Bryce Elder (3-1, 2.02 ERA) at the top of their rotation. Sale is fifth in MLB with a 0.88 WHIP, while Elder is sixth in ERA.

Atlanta's schedule softens again after the Chicago series, as it'll face the Boston Red Sox (17-22), Miami Marlins (17-22), Washington Nationals (19-20), and Red Sox again before finishing May against the Cincinnati Reds (20-19). Saturday's matchup with the Dodgers starts at 9:10 p.m. ET.