The Braves can breathe a little easier with Chris Sale and Tyler Mahle at the front of the pitching picture, but the rest of the rotation is where things get shaky. Martin Perez landing on the injured list tightened the margin for error, and Atlanta has already started looking for ways to cover those innings.
That’s where Grant Holmes has suddenly moved into the spotlight.
Atlanta has been using openers lately to keep its options open, and Ray Kerr got the first turn. He worked three scoreless innings against the Marlins, giving the Braves a clean bridge before Holmes took over.
Holmes, who has spent most of the season in the rotation but has plenty of bullpen experience, followed with four innings in relief. He allowed one run on three hits, walked three, and struck out one.
It wasn’t a disaster, but it also wasn’t his sharpest outing.
Still, the bigger story is how much more important Holmes has become almost overnight.
His 2026 numbers don’t scream ace, but they do show a pitcher who has been steady enough to matter. Holmes owns a 3.44 ERA across 31 games, including 29 starts, with 62 walks and 115 strikeouts.
The underlying stuff has been solid too, especially his chase rate of 31.8% and whiff rate of 27.3%. Even better for Atlanta, he’s improved month by month since May, and September has been his strongest stretch yet: a 1.89 ERA over 19 innings with four walks and 11 strikeouts.
His slider has been a major reason for that success. Opponents are hitting just .211 against it, and his breaking run value sits at 5, which ranks in the 82nd percentile among all MLB pitchers. That pitch has given him a real weapon, even if the rest of his profile has been uneven.
The concern is what happens when hitters do make contact. Holmes’ hard-hit rate is a career-high 45.2%, and that’s the part Atlanta can’t ignore. For all the good signs, the Braves need him to be at his best if they’re going to survive the postseason innings that now look like they’re his to shoulder.
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
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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 Now Face One Big Postseason Question After Final Tune-Up
The Braves closed the regular season with a 5-3 loss to the Marlins, but the result mattered far less than the bigger picture. Atlanta finished 94-68 and wrapped up another NL East title, with key regulars resting in the finale as the focus shifted to the postseason. Mauricio Dubn, Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson and others still saw action in a game that gave Miami the upper hand on the scoreboard, but the Braves left the final day exactly where they wanted to be.
Now the attention turns to Tuesday, when Atlanta opens the Wild Card round against the Phillies with one major question hanging over the series: how the Braves will line up once the games start to count. The final tune-up offered a chance to get bodies moving and keep rhythm before October, yet it also delayed the real answer about how the roster will be deployed when the margin for error disappears. [Read more 🡒]