The Atlanta Braves have stormed out of the gate as one of baseball's early elite teams, tied with the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs for the best winning percentage in the majors. But if they want to make a serious run at the Los Angeles Dodgers this October, one of their All-Stars will need to shake off a troubling trend.

According to FanSided's Zachary Rotman, second baseman Ozzie Albies—despite a resurgent season at the plate—could be the one thing holding the Braves back in a potential postseason matchup against the Dodgers.

"For Albies to be as helpful for the Braves in a potential series against the Dodgers as he's been this season, he's going to have to get over his Los Angeles demons," Rotman wrote.

On the surface, Albies looks like a force. Through 38 games, he's posted a .915 OPS with eight home runs, reminding everyone why he was a key piece of Atlanta's 2021 World Series championship. But dig into his history against the Dodgers, and a different picture emerges.

Albies owns a .646 OPS against Los Angeles—his fourth-lowest mark against any team he's faced at least 100 times. It gets even worse at Dodger Stadium, where that number drops to .584. "Predictably, his numbers against some of the Dodgers' elite pitchers are not good," Rotman added.

That's a serious concern come October, when the Dodgers are expected to roll out a four-man rotation of Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow in a best-of-seven series. That's a gauntlet for any hitter, let alone one who has historically struggled in the spotlight.

But here's the flip side: if Albies can find his stroke against Los Angeles, the Braves suddenly have a legitimate shot at pulling off the upset. For a team built to win now, that's a challenge worth embracing—and a storyline worth watching as the season heats up.