Braves clinch 8th postseason berth in 9 years with 6-2 win over Astros

The Atlanta Braves defeated the Houston Astros 6-2 on Friday night, clinching a playoff berth. Michael Harris II, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Matt Olson each hit two-run homers in the clinching game, per MLB.com. Olson's homer was his 40th of the season. Tyler Mahle allowed one run and three hits over six innings in the victory. Since being acquired from the Giants on August 2, Mahle has posted a 1.28 ERA in eight starts, ranking third among all qualified MLB starters since August 4 behind Cam Schlittler (1.00 ERA) and Jesús Luzardo (1.08 ERA), according to MLB.com. Before the trade, Mahle had posted a 5.13 ERA in the 18 starts he made for San Francisco. This marks the eighth time in nine years that the Braves have reached the postseason. Atlanta rebounded from an 86-loss campaign in 2025 to reach 90-64 this season. The Braves own a five-game lead over second-place Philadelphia (85-69) with eight games remaining. To clinch the National League East before heading home on Sunday, the Braves would need to sweep the three-game series and have the Phillies lose one of their next two games against the Mets, per MLB.com. The rotation has been tested by injuries: the Braves got almost nothing from Spencer Strider and exactly nothing from Spencer Schwellenbach this season, according to CBS Sports. Bryce Elder underwent arthroscopic knee surgery with realistic hope he will pitch in October. Ronald Acuña Jr. was hampered by hamstring problems for most of the season but has looked closer to his peak self in September, per CBS Sports. The Braves have gone 43-30 against teams with winning records this season, per CBS Sports, with only the Milwaukee Brewers holding a better record against winning teams. Manager Walt Weiss said of Mahle: "What a boost to our team and to our rotation he's been. He's been great, literally every time out." Mauricio Dubón said: "I remember when he got traded, people were like, 'What are we doing?' Now he's one of the best pitchers. He's been lights out. You know, every time he goes out there, we've got a chance to win." Michael Harris II said: "You want to win the World Series and you can't get there without making the playoffs. So it's obviously good to be in this situation right now." The Braves feature four hitters with at least 20 home runs and six with at least 15 homers, per CBS Sports. Reynaldo López is just back from the injured list, and Martín Pérez has continued his late-career renaissance, per CBS Sports. Grant Holmes has been another quality presence in the rotation, per CBS Sports. By the end of the regular season, the Braves could have nine players with double-digit homer totals, per CBS Sports.