Braves seek series win in Houston with Holmes on the hill

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 07: Grant Holmes #66 of the Atlanta Braves takes the sign from the catcher during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Monday, September 7, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Denis Kennedy/MLB Photos via Ge

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What is the story about?

With last night’s win, your Atlanta Braves earned their 90th dub of the season and punched their ticket for the postseason. They were the fifth team to clinch a playoff berth, following the Rays, Brewers, Dodgers, and Yankees.

The job is not finished, however. The magic number is currently at three. Mets/Phillies starts at 4:10 pm ET. If the former feels like helping out a little, it would certainly be welcome.

To trim it down further, the Braves are looking for a series win tonight behind Grant Holmes.

Holmes (9-5, 3.49 ERA) continues to be an enigma. He looked intriguing in his rain-shortened start against the Nats on September 2, spun six innings of three-hit ball against the Phillies at their place on September 7, and was yanked after four innings after five hits and two earned runs when the Phillies were at Truist on September 13. Good defense kept things from being scarier with the amount of trouble he had finding the zone. What will today’s Grant Holmes Experience have in store for us?

Houston will send right-hander Hayden Wesneski (5-2, 3.70 ERA) to the mound to keep their chances to win the AL West alive. He’s been a stabilizer for the Astros rotation since his return from Tommy John in late July.

Wesneski started September with an absolute gem of an outing where he one-hit the White Sox for seven innings. The Phillies tagged him for three runs on five hits in six innings the following week, and his latest outing was his shortest of the season: 61 pitches, three innings, six hits, seven runs (only three earned) against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Wesneski has a signature sweeper that he supplements with a four-seamer, sinker, cutter, and changeup to throw a lot of strikes. He hasn’t thrown more than 91 pitches yet in his nine games this season and has been getting extra rest between starts.

The Braves should be prepared for Wesneski to attack them in the zone. Here’s hoping yesterday’s two-run homer barrage is the start of the offense getting on the right track at the right time.

First pitch for Game 2 is at 7:10 pm ET.