The Atlanta Braves secured a thrilling 5-3 victory on Tuesday afternoon in Game 1 of their Wild Card Series matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Atlanta trailed 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth with two on, two out, and Austin Riley at the plate.
Riley went the opposite way for a go-ahead three-run homer, giving Atlanta a two-run lead and ultimately helping the Braves close out the game in the ninth.
Now, on Wednesday, the Braves will send right-hander Tyler Mahle to the mound as they look to end the series and advance to the NLDS. The Phillies will be led by left-handed ace Cristopher Sanchez.
Ahead of Game 2, Braves manager Walt Weiss elected to make some notable changes to the top of his starting lineup.
Braves Announce Ronald Acuna Jr. Move
As Weiss has done throughout the year, he has constantly switched around the top of his batting order.
On Wednesday, after batting second in Game 1. Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. will move into the leadoff spot ahead of Drake Baldwin.
Here’s the full Braves lineup:
Via Underdog MLB: “Braves 9/30 R. Acuña Jr. RF D. Baldwin DH O. Albies 2B M. Olson 1B M. Dubón LF A. Riley 3B M. Harris II CF S. Murphy C H. Kim SS T. Mahle SP.”
Braves 9/30
R. Acuña Jr. RF
D. Baldwin DH
O. Albies 2B
M. Olson 1B
M. Dubón LF
A. Riley 3B
M. Harris II CF
S. Murphy C
H. Kim SST. Mahle SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 30, 2026
Looking Ahead to Game 2 for Braves
Acuna Jr. went 0-for-3 at the plate in Game 1. While the top three hitters in the Braves’ order, which also included Baldwin and first baseman Matt Olson, went a collective 0-for-11.
Atlanta got most of its production from Riley’s late three-run homer, Michael Harris, who recorded a game-high three hits, and a late RBI triple from Ozzie Albies.
Albies will move up to third in the order for Game 2, while Olson will drop to the cleanup spot.
Atlanta Braves Announce Ronald Acuna Jr. Move Before Game 2 vs. Phillies