6 things to watch over the Braves’ final six games

Six games in six days is all that stands between the Braves and the postseason.

Before the National League playoffs begin Sept. 29, the Braves essentially have six exhibition games against the Reds and Marlins, respectively, before beginning their quest for a World Series title. The NL East title was clinched Sunday, and the Braves are four games back of the Dodgers for the second-best record in the NL — meaning a first-round bye in the playoffs is unlikely.

The Braves open a three-game series Tuesday at Truist Park against the Reds, and then travel to Miami to face the Marlins for three games starting Friday. The Reds and Marlins have long been eliminated from playoff contention and will be playing for nothing more than pride this week.

Manager Walt Weiss will have to balance keeping his team focused in the day to day while also getting some of his key players much-needed rest ahead of the playoffs.

In that context, here are six things to watch over the final six days of the regular season:

JR Ritchie

The 2026 season continues to be full of important lessons for the rookie pitcher. A 23-year-old, Ritchie has had some encouraging successes at Triple-A Gwinnett, and shined at times with the Braves both as a starter and out of the bullpen. But there have also been some humbling outings along the way.

Last Wednesday, Ritchie was dealt the tough task of pitching in Chicago against the Cubs. It didn’t go great. He allowed six earned runs on seven hits (two of which were homers) in 4⅔ innings as his ERA rose over 5 for the first time all season (5.03).

Ritchie also walked two more hitters, bringing his season total to 38. In 15 appearances this season, Ritchie has only one in which he hasn’t walked a batter.

The Braves, however, are giving Ritchie another start Tuesday. He could also pitch Sunday’s season finale in Miami. These are important opportunities for the young righty to improve, and to possibly show he can be counted on in the postseason if needed.

Pitcher JR Ritchie, shown throwing against the Nationals last month, has shined at times with the Braves. But there have also been some humbling outings along the way. (Erik S. Lesser/AP)

Bullpen usage

Weiss’ bullpen has been one of the best in baseball in 2026, and that unit is going to be relied on heavily in the playoffs.

Closer Raisel Iglesias and his mates Didier Fuentes, Dylan Lee, Dylan Dodd, Brent Suter and Víctor Mederos are going to play pivotal roles in the postseason. But Weiss will have to be cautious in the coming days in terms of keeping them fresh while not overworking their respective arms.

Ray Kerr has shined in recent weeks as well, and young arms AJ Smith-Shawver and Owen Murphy could certainly be thrown into high-leverage situations this final week to show how they handle pressure similar to what they might encounter in the playoffs.

Sale and Mahle

It’s clear the Braves will have a 1-2 punch of a rotation come the postseason. Ace Chris Sale, in all likelihood, will be on the mound for the opener of a playoff series while Tyler Mahle will toe the rubber in Game 2.

In 26 starts this season, Sale (14-9) has a 2.18 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. He has struck out 190 batters in 157 innings while pitching some of the best baseball of his storied career.

Sale is scheduled to start Wednesday against the Reds in a final playoff tuneup.

Mahle looks like the steal of the trade deadline, making eight starts for the Braves since being acquired from the Giants at the start of August. The right-hander has a 1.28 ERA and 0.89 WHIP since joining the Braves and is scheduled to make his final regular season start Thursday.

La Bestia

While Braves fans may be asking, “Where has this Ronald Acuña Jr. been all season?”, perhaps the more important question should be can he carry the Braves through the postseason?

Acuña is hitting .372 in his last 22 games — since Weiss gave him a day off Aug. 27 — with 20 RBIs, seven homers, six doubles, 10 walks and 16 runs scored. He is slugging .686 over that span with an 1.119 OPS.

Acuña made a small tweak to his approach, widening his batting stance a bit, and the results have spoken for themselves. Now, can the former MVP continue his tear this final week and into the next?

The IL-ers

The Braves have some very important pieces on the injured list heading into this final week of the regular season: Bryce Elder, Robert Suárez and Lane Thomas.

Suárez, the team’s setup man out of the bullpen who hasn’t pitched since June 19, threw a scoreless inning for Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday. It’s possible the hard-throwing right-hander returns to the club this week to get some more work.

Elder had knee surgery Sept. 8, a calculated risk he hoped would allow him to return this season. He has continued to throw since the surgery, and told reporters Saturday in Houston that he feels he is ahead of schedule in his recovery.

Thomas has been on the 10-day injured list since Sept. 10 with an intercostal strain. He said a few days after that he hoped he wouldn’t be out the expected four to six weeks. If Thomas can report this week his recovery is ahead of schedule, and he could be counted on as an important bat off the bench in the playoffs.

Braves pitcher Bryce Elder reacts after giving up a hit to a Mets’ player on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in Atlanta. Elder has continued to throw since his surgery, and told reporters that he feels he is ahead of schedule in his recovery. (Jason Getz/AJC)

The standings

As previously mentioned, the Braves are unlikely to climb into one of the top two spots in the National League standings. They trail the Brewers (98-58) by six games for the NL’s best record and the Dodgers (96-60) by four games for the No. 2 seed.

Thus, the Braves are virtually locked into the No. 3 spot and are destined to begin the playoffs Sept. 29 at Truist Park. Who will they play?