Michael Harris II set the tone early, Ozzie Albies kept the pressure on, and Matt Olson put the finishing touch on it. That combination carried the Braves to a 6-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday night, clinching the NL Wild Card series and sending Atlanta into the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Braves got the kind of start they were looking for from Ray Kerr, who worked 3 1/3 innings and allowed only one hit. It matched his longest outing of 2026 and gave Atlanta a steady platform while the bats went to work.
Harris delivered the first big swing in the opening inning, launching a three-run homer off Aaron Nola on a 93-mile-per-hour inside slider that just cleared the right field wall. Nola’s night ended after only 1 2/3 innings, his briefest postseason outing in 11 appearances, all of them starts. He walked both Olson and Ronald Acuna Jr. before Harris came through, then was pulled after giving up an infield single to Braves designated hitter Dominic Smith.
That short start pushed the Phillies to Zach Wheeler, who entered on just three days’ rest after starting Philadelphia’s final regular-season game Sunday. Wheeler handled a long relief stint and allowed three hits over four innings, but Atlanta still found more damage against him in the fourth when Albies crushed a two-run homer.
Olson added another blow in the seventh, going deep for a solo shot off Jonathan Bowlan to stretch the lead further.
Atlanta’s bullpen then carried the rest of the load after Kerr. Grant Holmes, Robert Suarez, Didier Fuentes, Dylan Dodd and Chris Sale all followed, with Suarez and Dodd each allowing one run.
Suarez came in for Holmes in the sixth after Bryce Harper doubled, leaving Harper at second and Kyle Schwarber at third. Alec Bohm’s groundout brought Schwarber home, and Bryson Stott flied out to end the inning.
Dodd gave up a triple to center fielder Derek Hill in the eighth, and Trea Turner brought Hill in on a sacrifice fly, but that was all the Phillies could manage.
The Braves now turn the page to the Dodgers, with the NLDS set to begin Saturday in Los Angeles.
In Other News...
Braves Fans Had To Love How Fast This Phillies Jinx Backfired
The Braves did not need much help finding a spark in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series, but they did get a little extra fuel from the broadcast booth. During the inning, Joey Votto, working his first season as a broadcaster after a long playing career, predicted Atlanta would not score again. The line landed almost immediately as the Braves pushed across two runs later in the same frame, turning the comment into a quick punchline for fans watching along.
For Atlanta followers, it was the kind of accidental jinx that can make a postseason night even sweeter when it backfires so fast. Vottos run in the analyst chair is only temporary, though, since NBC does not have rights beyond the wild-card round, so this was one of his final games in the role. For a Braves crowd that has lived through plenty of October nerves, it was a small but satisfying reminder that the baseball gods can still have a sense of humor. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Just Got A Real Opening In Winner-Take-All Game 3
The Phillies are making a notable pivot for their winner-take-all Game 3 against the Braves, choosing Aaron Nola over Zack Wheeler on the mound. It is the kind of decision that can reshape the feel of an elimination game before the first pitch, especially for an Atlanta lineup that has spent the series trying to force every edge it can get.
Nolas 2026 season has been uneven, but Philadelphia is clearly leaning on his past postseason success against the Braves as the safer answer for this matchup. The move also leaves some intrigue hanging over the other side of the dugout, because Wheelers strong season made him the more obvious choice and left plenty of room to wonder why the Phillies went a different direction. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Just Added A Dangerous Game 3 Wrinkle For Phillies
With a decisive Game 3 looming in the National League Wild Card Series, the Braves appear willing to leave every option on the table. Manager Walt Weiss said left-handed ace Chris Sale could be available out of the bullpen, even on one day of rest, after he turned in a strong outing in Game 1.
That possibility alone adds another layer of pressure on the Phillies in an elimination game, because it gives Atlanta a way to shorten the night if the matchup turns tight late. For a series already hanging by a thread, the chance that Sale could surface in relief is the kind of wrinkle that can change how both dugouts manage every inning. [Read more 🡒]