After taking down the Astros on Saturday night, the Atlanta Braves find themselves on the cusp of winning the NL East yet again. Thanks to some fortuitous events this week with the Phillies getting unexpectedly beat up by the Mets, the Braves' magic number to secure the division has fallen to just one. That means it is time to start thinking about who the Braves may have to deal with in the upcoming playoffs.
The National League is clearly the stronger of the two leagues this season, which makes Atlanta improving their current seeding extremely unlikely. Given that the Brewers and Dodgers keep winning, the most likely outcome for the Braves is that they will be the No. 3 seed on the NL side of the bracket, although that does little to clarify their potential first-round opponent in the playoffs.
Here are the teams the Braves could face in the Wild Card round and some key aspects of each potential matchup
This is not a complete list of potential opponents. The Diamondbacks still have a chance to sneak into the postseason as of September 20, though they are a long shot at four games out of a Wild Card spot. That leaves three teams as the Braves' most likely opponents as the sixth seed in the first round, and they are all clustered together with just a handful of games left in the regular season.
San Diego Padres
2026 record: 86-69
2026 head-to-head record: 3-4
Yeah, this is probably the team the Braves want to see the least, given recent playoff history and the fact that Atlanta can't seem to win on the road there. San Diego has been playing pretty well lately, but their remaining schedule could be problematic. After they finish up their series against the Marlins on Sunday, they have to deal with the Dodgers on the road before hosting a potentially desperate Diamondbacks squad to close out the regular season.
Philadelphia Phillies
2026 record: 85-70
2026 head-to-head record: 9-4
The Braves have owned the Phillies in the regular season this year, but anything can happen in a short series. That Philly has Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sanchez, and potentially Jesus Luzardo (if healthy) coming out of their rotation does not inspire the most confidence. The Phillies may also have the toughest remaining schedule of this bunch. They first have to finish up against the Mets this weekend, and that series has not gone well for Philly at all. After that, they play against the very tough Brewers and Rays, although both series ARE at home, and neither Milwaukee nor Tampa really have much to play for in the season's final week.
Chicago Cubs
2026 record: 86-69
2026 head-to-head record: 3-3
It is a little surprising that the Cubs are in this conversation at all, given that it felt as though they had a strong grasp on the fourth overall seed for quite a while. However, Chicago has slipped in recent weeks and now is right in the thick of things with the Padres and Phillies. Facing Pete Crow-Armstrong on his current run would be spooky, but the Cubs' pitching staff is also the least scary of these three squads by a significant margin. The Cubs are finishing up against the hapless Reds first, before their final series against the Marlins and Red Sox.
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