The Atlanta Braves haven’t announced a pitching plan for Game 1 of the NLDS yet.
It’ll be on Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, and they may very well already know what they’re doing — but there’s no reason for the Braves to give away anything early.
The Braves have already eliminated some potential options based on what they did in Thursday’s Wild Card Game 3. They used Ray Kerr as an opener, but he went 3.1 innings and likely isn’t available for Saturday’s game, at least to start with that length. They also used Chris Sale to close it out, so he’s unlikely to pitch, as well.
That creates a variety of options — including the chance of another opener. At least one Braves beat writer thinks that’s exactly what will happen.
Braves Pitcher NLDS Game 1
The Braves have a decent chance of going with an opener, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman.
“The Braves will go with a bullpen game tomorrow,” Bowman writes. “I think Brent Suter will be the opener.”
Bowman then does mock himself by suggesting that if he has a feeling one way, Atlanta will likely go the other:
The Braves will go with a bullpen game tomorrow. I think Brent Suter will be the opener. But if I say I think the Braves should use Suter, then Jesse Chavez likely has a better chance to get the nod
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) October 3, 2026
Suter would be a logical choice, though, for real. The soft-tossing veteran lefty is a fascinating look and won’t be intimidated by the moment.
Brent Suter Fast Facts
Suter pitched in 54 games this season, including four starts, and had a 3.36 ERA.
He began the year with the Angels before coming to the Braves late in the year. He had 13 appearances with Atlanta with a 1.63 ERA.
Suter attended high school at Cincinnati powerhouse Archbishop Moeller, then was Ivy League educated at Harvard.
He was a 31st-round pick in the 2012 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. Suter is one of two players from that round who has made the majors — and the other, Taylor Ward, didn’t sign that year before being drafted higher in a subsequent year.
Suter has only pitched in three career postseason games, allowing four earned runs in four innings.
Part of the reason the Braves would turn to Suter against the Dodgers would be to combat lefty bats like Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.
The opener strategy has risk, but so does starting a pitcher who Atlanta doesn’t feel confident about giving them long innings, anyway.
The Braves may be considered the underdog against the Dodgers, but Suter has been an underdog his whole career. It’d be quite the way for Atlanta to get this series rolling.
Braves’ NLDS Game 1 Pitching Plan Hinted at by Beat Writer