The Braves have a pair of aces atop their rotation, and when they needed them most, both pitched phenomenally with the division on the line.

First, Charlie Morton held the Phillies scoreless for seven innings on Tuesday, helping the Braves to a 2-1 win that dealt a major blow to Philadelphia’s chances of unseating the three-time division champs. Max Fried, coming off a shutout, surrendered one earned runs (two runs overall) over seven innings Wednesday in the Braves’ 7-2 victory that cut their magic number to one and has them positioned to clinch the National League East as early as Thursday.

“It just alleviated any kind of stress or anxiety coming into it, just knowing that he went out there and laid everything on the line,” Fried said of following Morton. “Obviously, he had such a good start, I just wanted to follow that up. Just wanted to be able to go out there and keep us in the game, knowing that this lineup could explode at any second. ... I just wanted to put us in a good position to win.”

Morton and Fried combined to surrender one earned run on seven hits over 14 innings. They struck out 16 and walked two. If their late-season performance carries into the postseason, they’ll give the Braves the chance to hang with anybody.

Braves Lineup: The AJC presents a daily look at one thing to know about the Atlanta Braves today.

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Atlanta Braves shortstop Ha-Seong Kim throws to first for the groundout hit by Chicago Cubs third base Matt Shaw during the seventh inning of a baseball game at Truist Park, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, in Atlanta. (Hyosub Shin / AJC)

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Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

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