What you need to know about the Braves today

1. The Braves (82-64) did not play Thursday.

2. The Phillies (74-71) also did not play Thursday.

3. The Braves lead the Phillies by 7 ½ games in the NL East.

4. The Nationals (74-73) are just a game behind the Phillies, 8 ½ behind the Braves.

5. The Braves’ magic number to clinch the East title is 10. That’s any combination of Braves wins and Phillies losses.

6. The Braves have 16 games left. The Phillies have 17.

7. The Braves begin a 3-game home series against the Nationals Friday at SunTrust Park. Game times are 7:35 p.m. Friday, 1:05 Saturday and 1:35 Sunday. Braves starters are Kevin Gausman (Friday), Julio Teheran (Saturday) and Sean Newcomb (Sunday).  (The team is offering free tickets to Hurricane Florence evacuees.)

8. The Phillies start a 3-game home series against the Marlins Friday. Game times are 7:05 p.m. Friday, 7:05 Saturday and 1:35 Sunday.

9. The NL playoffs begin with the NL wild-card game on Tuesday, Oct. 2. The division series begin on Thursday, Oct. 4.