Braves beat Phillies 6-2 and advance to face Dodgers

The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 in Thursday night's decisive National League Wild Card Game 3, winning the best-of-three series 2-1. MLB's official game feed lists the result as final. Atlanta advances to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Division Series; Philadelphia's season is over.

Michael Harris II put Atlanta ahead with a three-run home run in the first inning off Aaron Nola. Ozzie Albies added a two-run homer in the fourth, and Matt Olson hit a solo shot in the seventh. Those three swings accounted for all six Braves runs. Philadelphia scored on an Alec Bohm groundout in the sixth and a Trea Turner sacrifice fly in the eighth, never cutting the deficit below three after Albies' homer.

Each team finished with six hits and no errors, according to MLB's box score. The lopsided score came from how Atlanta grouped its hits and converted three of them into home runs. Harris' first-inning swing followed walks to Ronald Acuña Jr. and Olson, turning early traffic into a lead the Braves did not surrender.

Six hits each, different damage

Atlanta used Ray Kerr as its opener for 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Grant Holmes followed and was credited with the win. Chris Sale recorded the final four outs, striking out three in 1 1/3 scoreless innings. The sequence let the Braves distribute the work rather than demand a conventional long start from one pitcher.

The Dodgers, who had a first-round bye, host the Braves in Game 1 of the NL Division Series on Saturday, October 3. MLB currently lists first pitch at 4 p.m. Eastern on FOX. Atlanta has little turnaround after a Thursday night elimination game; Los Angeles has not played since the regular season. That contrast is the immediate setup, not a prediction of the series.