The Braves have spent this postseason staring straight into a pitching buzz saw, and Game 4 brings another arm that fits the theme.
That’s been the story for Atlanta through the first six games of the 2026 postseason. The offense has plenty of blame to wear, especially with the way its best hitters have disappeared, but the road hasn’t exactly been lined with soft landings. The Braves have run into a brutal sequence of starters, and Wednesday night won’t offer much relief.
Over the last two seasons, the six starters Atlanta has seen in October rank like this in WAR: Sanchez first, Skubal second, Luzardo third, Yamamoto fifth, Wheeler 10th, and Snell, who didn’t qualify, still posted a 2.16 ERA and 2.29 FIP. As Scott Coleman put it: “Completely insane”
That run started in the Wild Card round, where Atlanta had to deal with a Phillies rotation led by Jesús Luzardo, Cristopher Sanchéz and Zack Wheeler. The Braves got through that series, but it was a grind from the start.
Things only got tougher once they moved on to the Dodgers. Los Angeles opened with Tarik Skubal in Game 1, then followed with Blake Snell. Atlanta managed to split those two games, but the margin for error never got any wider.
Then came Game 3 and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, another reminder of just how deep the Dodgers can go on the mound. Now the Braves face Tyler Glasnow in Game 4, with elimination hanging over the night.
Glasnow has been especially tough on Atlanta. In six career starts against the Braves, he owns a 2.48 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 32.2 innings. He’s the kind of pitcher who can take over a game in a hurry, thanks in part to a whiff rate that sits in the 92nd percentile.
That leaves Atlanta needing help from somewhere other than Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies. Among players on the postseason roster, Rowdy Tellez and Sean Murphy are the only ones who have homered off Glasnow, and both could be unavailable if Ronald Acuña Jr. remains limited to DH duty because of his knee.
At this point, the excuses have worn thin. The Braves have been living through this conversation for multiple postseasons now, and nothing is going to change the tone except production.
Their opponents’ rotation stars keep showing up in October. Atlanta’s offensive stars still need to answer.
In Other News...
Braves Season Ended With The Breakdown Fans Feared Most
For much of October, the Braves were chasing a version of themselves that looked closer to the club fans expected all season, but Game 4 against the Dodgers ended with the kind of unraveling that has lingered over too many recent postseason exits. Los Angeles beat Atlanta 4-1 to close out the NLDS, and the game tilted toward the Dodgers as they took advantage of defensive mistakes and came through with the kind of timely hits that separate a tense playoff night from a breakthrough.
Michael Harris II provided the lone notable spark on offense, but it was never enough to force the Dodgers into real trouble. Instead, Atlanta watched a familiar script play out, with the offense unable to build on small openings and the margin for error shrinking until it disappeared. The Dodgers move on to the NLCS, while the Braves are left with another October that ended the way their fans feared most. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Face A Bigger Question Than Another Early Playoff Exit
The Braves October ended the same way too many recent runs have, with another loss to the Dodgers and another quick exit from the postseason. This one stings differently, though, because Atlanta did take a real step forward under first-year manager Walt Weiss, winning the National League East and piling up 94 regular-season wins after a down year the season before.
Still, the bigger question hanging over the winter is not just why the Braves could not get past Los Angeles again. It is whether the core that has driven this era can keep doing it at the level Atlanta needs, with concerns swirling around the recent performance trends of Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acua Jr. and Sean Murphy. There is enough young talent in the pipeline to keep hope alive, but the Braves have reached the point where promise has to translate into something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]
Tyler Mahle Just Made The Braves' Offseason Much More Interesting
Tyler Mahles brief run with Atlanta in the 2026 NLDS against the Dodgers gave the Braves another arm they could trust in October, and it also gave the front office something to think about once the offseason arrived. Mahle said he enjoyed his time with the club and made clear he would be open to coming back if the chance comes together, which is exactly the kind of comment a team pays attention to after a postseason series.
The challenge for Atlanta is that this one may not be simple to line up quickly. Mahle is expected to draw interest from multiple teams in a shallow free-agent market, and while there is obvious mutual interest in keeping the door open, no agreement is in place yet. For a Braves club always trying to balance upside, timing and cost on the pitching side, that leaves Mahle as one of the more intriguing names to watch this winter. [Read more 🡒]