The Atlanta Braves punched their ticket to the National League Division Series on Thursday night, powering past the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 at Truist Park in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series.
The tone was set immediately. Michael Harris II blasted a three-run homer in the first inning after Philadelphia starter Aaron Nola walked Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson, and Atlanta never let the moment slip away. Ozzie Albies followed with a two-run homer in the fourth, then Olson added a solo shot in the seventh to put the game out of reach.
Atlanta’s pitching staff did the rest. Left-hander Ray Kerr turned in 3 1/3 scoreless innings in his postseason debut, giving up just one hit and one walk. Grant Holmes picked up the win in relief, and Chris Sale handled the late innings by striking out Bryce Harper to finish the eighth before closing out the ninth.
The Braves now move on to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Division Series, which begins Saturday.
There is still one roster question hanging over Atlanta. Officials have not confirmed whether pitcher Tyler Mahle will be available for the next round after he felt an abdominal pull Wednesday, though Braves management said Mahle was feeling pretty good on Thursday.
The victory gives Atlanta its first postseason series win since capturing the 2021 World Series. It also gives the Braves their first playoff series victory over Philadelphia after coming up short in previous postseason matchups.
Thursday’s deciding game drew a sellout crowd of 41,731 at Truist Park. The earlier afternoon games in the series drew 30,127 on Tuesday and 37,150 on Wednesday.
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Braves Enter Do Or Die Game 3 With One Huge Pitching Problem
The Braves head into a must-win Game 3 against a division rival with the kind of pitching uncertainty teams try to avoid in October. Philadelphia is expected to counter with Zack Wheeler, which only sharpens the pressure on Atlanta to piece together a workable plan on the mound. Grant Holmes and Ray Kerr are expected to be central to that approach, but the larger issue is simpler and more unsettling: there is no obvious traditional starter waiting to take the ball.
Tyler Mahle gave Atlanta a strong outing in Game 2 and has been one of the brighter signs recently, but even that was not enough to change the result. The Braves lost anyway, undone by a quiet night for the lineups power and a bullpen that could not hold the edge. Now the series has reached the point where every pitching decision matters, and Atlanta still has to answer the biggest question of all before the first pitch is thrown. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Just Got A Real Opening In Winner-Take-All Game 3
The Phillies have handed Aaron Nola the ball for their winner-take-all Game 3 against the Braves, a choice that immediately changes the feel of this Wild Card finale. Atlanta now gets a different look than many expected, with Philadelphia going with the veteran right-hander instead of Zack Wheeler, whose strong season made him the more obvious option on paper.
For the Braves, the opening is in the matchup itself as much as the name on the lineup card. Nola has been uneven this season, but his history of success against Atlanta in past postseason moments gives the Phillies a reason to trust him, even if the move has sparked some second-guessing about leaving Wheeler out of the biggest start of the year. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Waste A Start That Should Have Changed This Series
Tyler Mahles first postseason start gave the Braves exactly the kind of pitching backbone they needed in a tense Wild Card Game 2 against the Phillies. After a shaky beginning, he settled in and worked effectively through seven innings, keeping Philadelphia in check and striking out several key batters along the way. For a team trying to swing the series back in its favor, it was the sort of outing that should have set up a much different night.
Instead, Atlanta kept leaving chances on the table. The Braves had multiple opportunities to break through, including a bases-loaded situation in the sixth inning, but could not fully cash in when the game was there to be taken. With the pitching doing its part and the offense unable to finish the job, it became one of those postseason losses that felt bigger than the final score. [Read more 🡒]