The Braves are staring straight into the kind of Game 3 that can define a season. It’s a do-or-die matchup against a division rival, and the setup is brutal: likely Zack Wheeler on the mound for Philadelphia, while Atlanta goes in without a true starting pitcher of its own.
Grant Holmes is expected to shoulder a major part of the load, and Ray Kerr should also factor in as a useful option against the left-handed bats at the top of the Phillies’ order before the bullpen takes over. That reality traces back to the offseason and the trade deadline, where the Braves never added another starter to the mix. Injuries piled up, prospects didn’t make the leap, and now Atlanta is left without a clean answer for the most important game of the series, even after lining up its pitching staff for this matchup.
If the Braves pull it out, the issue doesn’t disappear. If they don’t, it’ll be a talking point all winter, the kind of thing that lingers through what could be a long offseason. Buckle up.
One bright spot has been Tyler Mahle, the club’s lone major starter addition. He’s given Atlanta far more than anyone could reasonably have expected, with two months of strong pitching after the deadline and 7.0 innings of one-run ball in Game 2. He’s been so good that bringing him back to Atlanta sounds like a real possibility.
Walt Weiss spoke with the media after Game 2 and addressed both the in-game management and Mahle’s outing.
Mahle did his job, but the Braves still dropped Game 2 because the offense didn’t hit enough homers and the bullpen faded, setting up this all-or-nothing Game 3.
Around the league, the Cinderella White Sox punched their ticket to the ALDS in a wide-open American League by knocking out the Astros.
The Yankees advanced too, hammering their longtime rival Red Sox.
Meanwhile, the Padres were leading the Cubs at the time of writing, and that result will determine when the Braves play Game 3. A Padres win would send the Braves and Phillies into primetime, while a Cubs win would push them into their usual 2 p.m. Wild Card slot.
In Other News...
Georgia Suddenly Faces A Backfield Question Heading Into Its Next Game
Georgias injury report brought a little more uncertainty into the buildup for its next game, with starting running back Nate Frazier and Vanderbilt quarterback Jared Curtis both listed as questionable. Frazier sat out the previous game against Oklahoma because of an injury, but the early indication is that he remains day-to-day and could still be available when Georgia lines up again.
The rest of the report adds to the sense that the Bulldogs are still sorting through health concerns at multiple spots. Isiah Canion and Chase Linton are also questionable, while Tyriq Green, Marcus Harrison and Amaris Williams have already been ruled out for the next game, leaving Georgia with a few more lineup decisions to make as kickoff gets closer. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech's Defensive Collapse Just Put Brent Key's Message To The Test
Georgia Techs defense has become the clearest concern in a season where the program had hoped its recruiting momentum and a few promising individual performances would start to show up on the field. Instead, the Yellow Jackets have slipped near the bottom nationally in total defense, scoring defense, third-down defense and run defense, a troubling stretch that has made it hard for the rest of the roster to matter as much as it should.
Brent Key has been direct about what needs to change, stressing accountability, teamwork and a healthy competition for playing time as the standard inside the program. The challenge now is whether those messages can translate into cleaner execution and a more unified effort, because the issues have not been limited to one spot and the fixes have to come across all phases of the team. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech's Bye Week Comes At A Season-Saving Time
An early open date arrived at exactly the sort of moment Georgia Tech needed it most. After a 1-3 start that included a loss to Stanford, the Yellow Jackets can use Week 5 to step back, clear their heads and try to salvage a season that already feels like it is drifting in the wrong direction. For a team still trying to find its footing, the timing of the break gives the staff a rare chance to regroup before the schedule keeps getting heavier.
The pause also matters because the injury picture has been part of the problem across multiple spots on the roster. Georgia Tech may get some help back after the bye, with Jaylen Mbakwe and Trae Stevenson among the players who could return and provide a needed lift. If that happens, the Jackets would not just be healthier, they would also have a better chance to stabilize the kind of performance that has been hard to find in the opening month. [Read more 🡒]