The Atlanta Braves can punch their ticket to the playoffs with a win — and thus a series sweep — against the visiting Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon.
Atlanta (88-71) put itself in a position to clinch, thanks to Travis d’Arnaud’s walk-off home run in the ninth on Saturday to take a 2-1 win. That, combined with losses by the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks, gave the Braves sole possession of the second wild-card spot in the National League. They lead both teams by a game.
A win against the Royals, or a Diamondbacks loss to San Diego, will clinch a postseason berth for Atlanta.
“This is big here. This is playoff baseball, literally,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “A lot of emotions. That’s why you play this thing, to get in these positions.”
The Braves have been on a roll, winning five straight games and seven of their past eight.
Veteran right-hander Charlie Morton (8-9, 4.08 ERA), who hasn’t pitched since Sept. 20, is scheduled to start Sunday for Atlanta. He is 2-2 with an ERA of 4.15 in five career starts against Kansas City.
First baseman Matt Olson has had a solid September for the Braves, batting .329 over the final month of the season. He has a career .306 average against Kansas City, with 30 RBIs in 31 games.
Having clinched a postseason berth on Friday, the Royals (85-76) head into the final game of the regular season with seeding on their minds.
Kansas City is one game behind the Detroit Tigers for the second wild-card berth from the American League. A win against Atlanta combined with a Tigers loss to the Chicago White Sox would leave the division foes with identical records, but the edge would go to the Royals as they hold the tiebreaker in the head-to-head series against Detroit.
Kansas City will play either Baltimore or Houston in the wild-card round beginning Tuesday.
“We’re trying to win,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “We’ve got to find a way to scratch out a couple of runs there. They (the Braves) have great pitching, and that’s not an easy thing to do, but that’s what we’re going to have to do in the playoffs.”
Bobby Witt Jr. will return to the Royals’ lineup for the finale after getting a day off for the first time this season on Saturday.
“It’s bittersweet, for sure, because a goal of mine was to play 162,” he said. “But I also want to make sure I’m fully ready to go for postseason baseball. That’s something I dreamt about as a kid, and getting this opportunity now, I want to be the best version of myself I could possibly be for my team.”
Right-hander Alec Marsh (8-9, 4.65 ERA) is expected to start for Kansas City on Sunday to face the Braves for the first time in his career.
–Field Level Media