The Braves have already locked up the NL East, and the road ahead looks straightforward on paper: keep doing what they’ve done all season, and they should be in good shape. They’ve scored enough, defended at a high level, and leaned on the best bullpen in MLB by WPA.
The rotation, though, is a different story. It’s basically Chris Sale, plus a cast of other arms.
That matters now, because Atlanta is heading into a three-game series with the Phillies, and the numbers say the Braves have been the stronger team in the regular season. But postseason baseball has a way of narrowing the gap fast. The Braves are likely to need at least one start, maybe two, from someone other than Sale, and that’s where things get tricky.
Philadelphia presents a very different kind of pitching problem. The Phillies have two starters in the top five in WARP and three in the top 20.
The Dodgers, who would be waiting in the next round, look even better equipped. So if the Braves are going to keep moving, they may need a little more than their usual formula.
They may need a few extra home runs, and they may need to protect leads that don’t feel safe.
That’s where Didier Fuentes comes in.
Fuentes is easy to miss if you haven’t been following closely. He wasn’t the marquee prospect, and his brief four-start look last year was ugly: six home runs allowed and 20 earned runs.
But the version of Fuentes who has surfaced since then has been a very different pitcher. In fact, he’s quietly become one of the best relievers in MLB.
It’s still too early to call him a failed starter, even if that feels likely. What is clear is that he was a very bad starter and has become a very good reliever.
Last year, he opened games and was objectively terrible. After moving out of that role, he settled in and developed nicely.
And he hasn’t just changed from last season to this one. Fuentes has also evolved as the year has gone on. As is often the case, the biggest shift may be a change in his delivery.
In Other News...
Braves Catch A Break As Phillies Lose One Of Their Few Reliable Bats
The Braves at least know one thing about the Phillies heading into the Wild Card Series: Philadelphia will be without one of its more dependable bats. Luis Arraez is off the roster because of an ankle injury, a notable hit for a lineup that has needed every steady presence it could find, especially after his addition at the trade deadline gave the club a needed boost.
Don Mattingly also confirmed Jesus Luzardo will get the Game 1 start, though with a pitch count that is expected to be limited. Otto Kemp now steps in for Arraez, and for Atlanta the bigger takeaway is that a Phillies offense already searching for consistency has lost one of the few hitters it could count on, even before the first pitch of the series is thrown. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Still Face Two Crucial Roster Calls Before Phillies Series
The Braves are in the familiar spot of sorting through a postseason roster just before a high-stakes series with the Phillies, and the outline is taking shape even if a few decisions are still being treated as educated guesses. Behind the obvious core pieces like Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy behind the plate, Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies in the infield, and Michael Harris II and Ronald Acua Jr. out in the grass, the staff is working through the kind of short-list construction that always matters in October.
What makes this one worth watching is how much depends on the final balance between position players and pitchers once the roster is set. The projection already points to a group built around current health, injuries and suspensions, but the Braves still have to settle a couple of important calls before the series begins, and those choices could shape how they match up with Philadelphia from the first inning on. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Wild Card Decision Just Changed A Potential Braves Threat
The Phillies late-season push got a small but meaningful twist at the roster deadline, and it matters for the Braves because Philadelphias new infield piece will not be available for the NL Wild Card round. Luis Arraez, acquired at the 2026 trade deadline, had given the Phillies another bat to work with down the stretch, but an ankle injury suffered late in the season knocked him out of the opening series against Atlanta.
Otto Kemp has taken Arraezs spot on the roster, while Philadelphia is carrying three catchers as injuries have thinned out some of its other options. Arraezs postseason status is still unsettled beyond the first round, with a possible return if the Phillies get through to the NLDS, so the Braves know the matchup has already shifted once and could shift again if this series extends. [Read more 🡒]