The Braves are back in October, and this time the first stop is a familiar and frustrating one: the Phillies.
Atlanta’s 2025 season was rough enough to keep it out of the playoffs altogether, but the club still managed to claw its way into the 2026 postseason after a year that started with a jolt. Jurickson Profar was suspended a second straight season for PEDs, and yet the offense came out swinging anyway, looking early on like the 2023 version.
That level of production didn’t hold up. The Braves went through plenty of uneven stretches, struggled to deliver the big hit when it mattered, and had to ride out injury concerns on the pitching side all year.
Even so, they kept stacking wins when they needed them most, and a weak NL East helped them secure another division title.
Now comes the Wild Card round, where Atlanta draws a Phillies team that has been a nightmare in the postseason. Philadelphia owns a 10-4 playoff record against the Braves, a history that makes this matchup feel like more than just a first-round series.
The one bright spot for Atlanta is what happened in the regular season: the Braves went 9-4 against the Phillies. Still, there’s plenty of reason for fans to stay cautious.
Since winning the World Series in 2021, Atlanta has not gotten past the first round.
That streak is part of the bigger story under general manager Alex Anthopoulos, who has been in charge since 2018 and has built several strong Braves teams. His run has produced both the franchise’s biggest high and a string of October disappointments.
It started in 2018, when Atlanta won the division and then ran into a Dodgers team that was better across the board in the NLDS. Even in defeat, there was a signature postseason moment for Ronald Acuna Jr., who launched a grand slam off Walker Buehler and gave Braves fans their first big taste of what October could feel like.
A year later, the Braves were back in the NLDS and fell to the Cardinals. Game 5 still lingers, and the series was shaped by starting pitching that never gave Atlanta enough stability to push deeper into the bracket.
In 2020, the Braves finally broke through to the NLCS after sweeping the Reds in the Wild Card round and the Marlins in the NLDS. The Dodgers were waiting again, and this time Atlanta lost the series 4 games to 3. Even in defeat, the run showed the rest of baseball that the Braves were no longer just a regular-season force.
Then came 2021, the year everything came together. Atlanta battled through a rough first half and lost Acuna to a season-ending injury, but Anthopoulos’ deadline moves helped reshape the roster. The Braves rolled past the Brewers in the NLDS, pulled off multiple comebacks against the Dodgers in the NLCS, and beat the Astros to win the World Series.
Since then, though, the postseason story has turned frustrating again. Three straight first-round exits have left the Braves trying to prove they can still play the kind of baseball that carried them to a title.
The Phillies are the first obstacle, and they’re a dangerous one. Atlanta has the talent to flip the script, but history says this series will demand it.
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 🡒]