The Braves appear ready to lean on the same kind of pitching plan that worked in the Wild Card Series when they open the NLDS against the Dodgers on Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles.
After watching Ray Kerr carve through the Phillies on Thursday night, Atlanta is considering another opener for Game 1, especially with Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman sitting near the top of the Dodgers’ lineup as left-handed threats. Kerr held Philadelphia to one hit across 3 1/3 innings in Game 3 of that series, and Grant Holmes followed with 28 pitches over two innings. Holmes would likely be available for a similar workload again if the Braves go that route.
Another name in the mix is Matt Suter, who filled the opener role in Miami on Sept. 26 and allowed one hit over three scoreless innings. Since being acquired from the Angels before the Trade Deadline, the veteran reliever has put together a 1.63 ERA in 13 appearances. Left-handed hitters have managed just a .189 average against him, going 7-for-37, during that stretch.
Atlanta used only two traditional starters in the Wild Card Series, and neither is lined up to pitch early in this matchup. Chris Sale threw 95 pitches in Game 1 and also got the final four outs of Game 3, which keeps him out of the NLDS before Game 2. Tyler Mahle will not be available before Game 3.
Bryce Elder has made progress as he works back from a procedure that removed bone fragments from his right knee four weeks ago, but he is not available for this series. Martín Pérez, who is on the injured list with back discomfort, is also out for the NLDS. Both could be in play for the NLCS if Atlanta moves on.
In Other News...
Braves Front Office Pressure Is Growing For One Clear Reason
Three seasons after the World Series title, the Braves are still being judged against the standard they set when the organization looked like the model for the rest of the division. But the lens around that success has changed. Injuries, management decisions and only modest roster reinforcement have made the front office feel less like a strength and more like a question mark, especially in a year when the rest of the NL East is also trying to sort itself out.
The bigger issue is not just what the Braves have dealt with, but how that compares with the teams around them. In a division-wide look at front-office performance, Atlanta comes out near the bottom, a jarring position for a club that has spent recent years selling stability and long-term planning. For a team with championship expectations, the pressure now comes from a place it usually avoided: proving the people building the roster can keep pace with the standard they helped create. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Free Agency Is About To Reopen A Familiar Debate
Free agency is once again set to give the Braves a familiar kind of roster churn, with several current and former players lining up to hit the market. Under Alex Anthopoulos, Atlanta has never been afraid to let a player walk if the price climbs too high, and that approach has left the organization with a recurring pool of ex-Braves available whenever the offseason opens up. It is the sort of setup that can make this time of year feel less like a full reset and more like a yearly audit of who might still fit, and at what number.
For Atlanta, the real question is not just who is out there, but which familiar names are worth revisiting for 2026. The list of possible reunions gives the front office options across the board, and it also reopens the old debate that comes with every Anthopoulos winter: how much continuity is worth preserving when the market starts pushing prices upward? Some of those decisions will be straightforward, others less so, and the Braves will again have to balance sentiment against the same hard arithmetic that has shaped so many of their recent departures. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Get A Welcome Rival Break After Phillies Decision
The Braves got a bit of a break on the rival front with Philadelphia choosing to keep Don Mattingly in place as manager, a move that adds a familiar face to the NL East mix heading into the next stretch. Mattingly had stepped in as the Phillies interim skipper after Rob Thomson was fired and guided the club to a playoff appearance, which at least gave the organization a reason to stay the course rather than start over.
For Atlanta, the bigger subplot is what comes next against a Phillies team that still hasnt broken through under Mattingly in the postseason. Philadelphia was already knocked out by the Braves in the playoffs, and now the division race gets another layer of familiarity with one less managerial change to track. The matchup remains the same, but the stability on the other side keeps the pressure on the Braves to keep winning those games that matter most. [Read more 🡒]