Mauricio Dubón gave the Braves an early spark, but Miami had the last word in Atlanta’s regular-season finale, a 5-3 Marlins win that wrapped up the 2026 regular season.
The loss left the Braves at 94-68 and still sitting atop the NL East, with the postseason set to begin Tuesday against the Phillies in the Wild Card round. For this one, Atlanta treated the game like a true Game 162. Ronald Acuña Jr., Drake Baldwin, and Michael Harris II all got the day off, while Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies only logged a couple of at-bats before heading to the sideline.
Dubón got Atlanta on the board first with a home run, and Brent Suter - who had joined the booth for an interview in the top of the third - drew a great call on it. Albies, meanwhile, made his first season in which he played all 162 games, finishing 0-for-2 with a groundout and a strikeout before exiting at 3:45 pm.
Olson’s afternoon ended at 3:54 pm after a strikeout in the first and a flyout in the fourth. Hugs for Matty O, our modern iron man.
Miami answered in the middle innings. Heriberto Hernández tied the game at 1-1 with a changeup that left the bat screaming to left center, and he kept causing problems for JR Ritchie.
Hernández led off the sixth with a double, then scored on a single from Esteury Ruiz after two outs. Deyvison De Los Santos followed with another single, bringing a mound visit that didn’t slow things down much at all.
Jared Serna then drilled the first pitch he saw for a double that brought in two more Marlins, and Ritchie’s day ended after 5.2 innings with AJ Smith-Shawver taking over. Smith-Shawver got Brian Navarreto looking to close the frame.
Atlanta made things interesting in the later innings. Ha-Seong Kim worked a ten-pitch at-bat to draw a walk, Brewer Hicklen dropped in a single down the right field line, DaShawn Keirsey Jr. brought home a run on a groundout, and Dubón added another single off Calvin Faucher to pull the Braves within 4-3.
But Smith-Shawver immediately gave one back on Griffin Conine’s leadoff homer. He retired the next three hitters in order, yet the Marlins had already done enough to keep it at 5-3.
There was plenty of movement on the Atlanta side as the game wore on. Austin Riley left after going 0-for-3, which sent Dubón to third base for the bottom of the eighth and moved Yaz into left field. Sean Murphy finished with singles in the second and fifth, while Kim also chipped in two walks, a strikeout, and a stellar defensive play in the fourth.
Miami’s bullpen handled the finish from there. Elieser Hernández worked a clean eighth, and Sandy Alcantara came in for the save - yes, the Marlins are trying something new.
Murphy reached to open the ninth, but Kim, Hicklen, and Keirsey Jr. were all retired to end it. The Braves head home unscathed, and the Delta flight awaits.
In Other News...
Braves Fans Have Seen This MLB Playoff Slight Before
MLB has already put the Braves on the board for the 2026 Wild Card Series, and the timing is the kind of thing Atlanta fans noticed right away. The league announced start times for the opening round, and the Braves are set for a 2 p.m. EST first pitch, leaving them outside the later window while matchups involving teams like the Padres, Red Sox, Yankees, Rangers and Astros were given more prominent spots.
For a division winner, the early assignment is a familiar frustration and one that tends to spark plenty of debate around how MLB treats its playoff showcase. The Braves will still get their shot on the October stage, but the scheduling choice ensures the conversation around them begins well before game time and lingers long after the bracket is set. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Get Their Rival With One Big Edge In Game 1
The Braves will open their National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park on Tuesday, and they arrive with the kind of early advantage every short postseason series covets. Chris Sale is lined up to start Game 1 for Atlanta, giving the home club a defined plan on the mound as it welcomes the Phillies into a tense division-rival matchup.
Philadelphia locked up its postseason berth after beating the Rays and getting some help from the Padres against the Diamondbacks, but its biggest immediate question remains the one that matters most in a playoff opener. The Braves already know who they are sending out first, while the Phillies are still sorting through their choice, adding a layer of uncertainty to a series that figures to be decided by small edges from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Postseason Hopes Suddenly Rest On A Risky Rotation X-Factor
Martin Perez landing on the injured list has forced Atlanta to lean harder on a rotation that already needed every useful arm it could get. In that mix, Grant Holmes has moved into an especially important spot, bringing value because he can work either as a starter or out of the bullpen. His season has been steady enough to keep him in the conversation, and the Braves have watched him sharpen as the months have gone on.
Holmes slider has given Atlanta a legitimate weapon, but there is still some concern about how often opponents are making hard contact against him. Even so, the Braves may not have many better options if they want to keep the staff afloat heading into October. How well Holmes holds up could end up shaping more than just his own role, because Atlantas postseason hopes now have a lot riding on whether that risk pays off. [Read more 🡒]