Braves clinch postseason berth for 8th time in last 9 years

The Atlanta Braves clinched a postseason berth for the eighth time in the past nine years with a win over the Houston Astros on Friday night. Tyler Mahle—described as one of the best trade-deadline acquisitions—limited Houston to one run over six innings. Since being acquired from the Giants, Mahle posted a 1.28 ERA across eight starts. Atlanta’s record sits at 90-64, and while it hasn’t clinched the NL East yet, it leads the Phillies by five games and holds the season-series tiebreaker. The Braves are projected to host the San Diego Padres as the No. 3 seed in the best-of-three Wild Card Series, with Chris Sale likely starting Game 1 and Mahle Game 2. A Wild Card win would send Atlanta to face the No. 2-seeded Dodgers in the NLDS.