Houston lost the first two series in those nine games, hoping for better news against Atlanta's Cobb County
- 65-81 (No. 4 in NL East) 21.0 games, 11.0 games for the last NL wildcard
- House Record: 35-37 (Astros Road Record: 36-36)
- Records with Al West: 3-9 (Astros vs NL East: 9-3)
- Last 10:4-6 [WLLWWLLWLL] (Hou: 4-6 [WLWLLWLLWL])
- 2025 Records and Houston: First Meeting
- History and Houston: 402-339
- Playoff record vs. Houston: 16-9 (1997 NLDS (3-0); 1999 NLDS (3-1); 2001 NLDS (3-0) (3-0); 2004 NLDS (L 2-3); 2005 NLDS (2-3) (2-3); 2021 WS; 2021 WS (W 4-2))
This season is brave: This was the biggest disappointment between them and Baltimore. After a brutal triple threat double head, the Braves entered the playoffs as wildcards, just to be swept away by Padres in 2024, and the Braves can’t wait for 2025 as they try to win the 2020s World Series. Then arrives in 2025, and it's the worst start at Atlanta with an opening rate of 0-7. However, they did manage to beat .500 at 24-23 on May 18. After that derogatory start, the Braves thought it was a playoff debate. Unfortunately, that was the high moisture this season. Between the classic injury combination and the ineffective game, Atlanta quickly fell into the status quo from the dream of fighting. They sold effectively on the deadline, and the second half of the season just played strings with hopes of a rebound in 2026.
offense: [NOTE: Stat leaders based eligibility for batting title and who is currently on the roster, unless otherwise noted]
- HR: 1B Matt Olsen (23)
- RBI: 1B Matt Olsen (83)
- BA: 1B Matt Olsen (.271)
- OPS: 1B Matt Olsen (.831) [Ronald Acuña has a .880 OPS, but is not eligible for the batting title]
Toss: [NOTE: Stat leaders based on eligibility for ERA title and who is currently on the roster, unless otherwise noted]
- ERA: (The Braves don’t have any pitchers that match the ERA title at the moment. Relief pitcher Pierce Johnson held 2.35 ERA in 57 games while continuing 2.52 ERA in NL CY Young champion Chy Young winner Chris Sale.
- Victory: Bryce Elder (7)
- Save: Lesl Iglesias (25)
- Whip: (The Braves don't have any pitchers that match the ERA title at the moment. Relief pitcher Raisel Iglesias has 1.04 whips in 63 appearances, as does rescuer Dylan Lee)
Expected pitching duel (if changed)
- Friday, September 12 @ 6:15 PM CDT: TBD vs. Hurston Waldrep (4-0, 1.33 ERA)
- Saturday, September 13 @ 6:15 PM CDT: Hunter Brown (11-7, 2.25 ERA) vs. Bryce Elder (7-9, 5.35 ERA)
- Saturday, September 13, 6:15 pm CDT: Framber Valdez (12-9, 3.42 ERA) vs. Joey Wentz (5-6, 5.82 ERA)
Field position starter (if changed) (BA/OBP/SLG)
- C: Drake Baldwin (.270/.340/.438)
- 1B: Matt Olsen (.271/.368/.463)
- 2B: Ozzie Albies (.241/.306/.371)
- 3B: Nacho Alvarez (.248/.321/.333)
- SS: seong kim (.223/.290/.330)
- LF: Jurickson Profar (.257/.353/.471)
- CF: Michael Harris II: (.241/.261/.396)
- RF: Ronald Acuña Jr. : (.272/.396/.484)
- DH: Marcell Ozuna: (.228/.355/.404)
Brave attack: The Brave lives around the middle of the pack in the hit statistics (15th in scores, 20th in BA, 14th in OBP and 18th in SLG). Given the talent in the lineup, it's hard to imagine they'll fall off. Today, the lineup is rhythmed by 1B Matt Olsen, who leads the team in most categories. Acuña Jr. and Sean Murphy have greatly damaged their ability to hinder the order of the batting due to injury. However, the team may win the NL Rookie of the Year award in a match with receiver Drake Baldwin. He is still leading peers in multiple categories while hitting some well-known rookie walls. The injury also limits Acuña's outstanding speed abilities, as he hasn't approached 73 steals in 2023. So far, the Brave Braves are ranked 26th (73) in the stolen bags, putting them behind the Astros.
Brave pitching/defense: Balling is not as good as hitting, as Braves lives in lower MLB levels in key statistics (22nd place in ERA, 19th in Whip and 20th in BAA). The staff is not short of talent, but injuries and inconsistencies plagued the rotation, especially at the beginning of the season, which is still in balance this year. Chris Sale had no luck most of the last season (save his last week, including the playoffs), especially with injuries, but his numbers were stable enough when he pitched. Strider's return from injury is a mixed race, and the team's results reflect that. Some young weapons, such as the recent call, have their pitching enough to provide hope for the rebound in 2026. The Bullpen is 21st in Major League Baseball (MLB), so it doesn't necessarily help the team. Igelsias is most effective in the close role of Dylan Johnson and Pierce Johnson as major bullpen weapons. Although the pitching part of the defense doesn’t rank well, the field does. They ranked fourth in the defensive run and made the second least mistake in the major leagues.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – August 31: Atlanta Braves' Hullston Valdrep #64 pitches against the Philadelphia Philadelphia on August 31, 2025 at Philadelphia Park Park in Pennsylvania. The Braves beat the Phillies 3-1. (Photo of Mitchell Leff/Getty Image) Getty Image
The most dangerous players: P Hurston Waldrep. You saw his statistics before. But this touting prospect is making history by mounds. His first 4 games saw him surrender only 2 points and win all four games, which has not been seen since Fernando Valenzuela in 1981. The team did lose the last game against Seattle, where he played five innings and surrendered to two wins. Still, this is one of the few highlights in Atlanta’s bust in 2025. Maybe the team is figuring out him, but have you seen Houston's offense recently? Also, Houston has a bad habit that can help rookies look good (so be careful about Baldwin, too).
Injuried: Well, would you be surprised to hear that Atlanta faced many seasons throughout the season? One reason for where they are. List:
- C Sean Murphy (Hip); Rest of the Season: Estimated Return: 2026
- 3B Austin Riley (abdominal); 60-day IL; Estimated Return: 2026
- P Aaron Bummer (shoulder); IL since August 24; Estimated return: TBD
- P Joe Jimenez (Knee); 60-day IL; Estimated Return: 2026
- P Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder); 60 days IL; Estimated return: 2026
- P Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow); 60-day IL; Estimated Return: 2026
- P Grant Holmes (elbow); 60-day IL; Estimated Return: 2026
- P AJ Smith-Shawver (forearm); 60-day IL; Estimated Return: 2026
invisible: Since the 2021 World Series, the Brave has added a second time since this decade. This team will not be able to stab the current veteran if they compete in October. They are behind the marlins must really ring. While the front desk locks in the core of the player who won in 2021 and has strong regular seasons for 2022 and 2023, over time, more players are increasing, those players are getting higher and higher salaries/etc. Yes, Atlanta has a chance to see what some of the future minor leagues can do for the team, but Atlanta's brain power is ultimately winning the championship. Maybe they didn't die in the NL East as a blessing (National Enter Chat). But if Atlanta wants to make 2025 abnormal, the upcoming off-season is crucial. In particular, long-time Captain Snitker decided to hang up on his uniform? If so, Atlanta will have a more interesting offseason.
Series Outlook: At this point, what else can be said about the Astronauts and their second half struggle? They have a hard time scoring points, and they don't stick out the lights like they did from May to June. There are more questions about Valdez's mindset than his pitching performance, and the rest of the staff (avoiding Brown) are trying to recover from injury/avoiding injuries. Long time ago, they effectively saw the brave team ending in 2025 with as many opportunities as they could. The Mariners may eventually be able to take advantage of the Astronauts’ stumbling blocks, and even the Arlington Rangers legally return to the playoffs and say nothing about Al West Crown. After entering Atlanta, all Western Conference opponents are on the rest of the way, Houston currently has a record of failure. Can they use a trip to Cobb Country as a springboard, or Houston leaves Atlanta to beat, bruises and lim retract home?
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