ATLANTA — Grant Holmes will take his usual night-before routine into Thursday’s deciding game against the Phillies, whether he receives the ball at first pitch or enters behind an opener. After Atlanta’s 4-3 loss Wednesday evened the National League Wild Card Series, the right-hander could be central to the Braves’ plan in a win-or-go-home Game 3.
The result
The Braves and Phillies are tied in the best-of-three set heading into Thursday. Game 3 is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, though it would move to 8 p.m. ET if it becomes the lone Wild Card Series still being played.
Holmes said he was prepared to keep his routine unchanged regardless of the club’s decision. If he is named the starter, he said, nothing about his preparation will need to change.
“I’ll go to sleep the way I always do,” Holmes said. “If they tell me I’m starting, I’ll stick with the same routine. I’ll be ready.”
Holmes made 29 starts during the regular season and finished with a 3.57 ERA. His late-season work was sharper still: a 2.94 ERA across his final 14 starts. Opponents had a .590 OPS in their first trip through the order against him, but that figure rose to .886 when they saw him for a second plate appearance.
That split could shape Atlanta’s decision. Holmes started last Friday, but Ray Kerr handled the opening assignment that day. If the Braves use the same kind of alignment Thursday, Holmes could work behind either Kerr or Brent Suter, with the left-handers positioned to face Philadelphia’s left-handed thunder at the top of the lineup, including Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper.
The rotation next
Kerr has become a useful late-season option for Atlanta. Since making his season debut on Aug. 17, he has posted a 1.47 ERA in nine appearances covering 18 1/3 innings. Left-handed hitters went 4-for-23 against him, with only one extra-base hit, a double.
He also saw the Phillies twice in September. In a three-inning appearance on Sept. 13, Kerr induced Schwarber into a double-play grounder, struck out Trea Turner to finish the fifth inning, then allowed Harper’s leadoff double in the sixth before keeping him from scoring.
Kerr has appeared in only 19 major league games since the beginning of 2024, but he threw three scoreless innings against the Marlins last Friday and said he would embrace an October opener role.
Manager Walt Weiss said an opener must be used for a clear matchup reason, not simply because the tactic is available. Kerr, he noted, has been pitching well enough to make that option attractive.
Suter brings the longer starting background, with 51 career starts. He opened three games for the Angels this season, then worked as an opener again Saturday against Miami, allowing one hit in three scoreless innings. Left-handed hitters posted a .778 OPS against him for the full regular season, though that number dropped to .657 after Atlanta acquired him on Aug. 3.
Whichever route Atlanta chooses, Holmes may be asked to carry the middle of the game and deliver the ball to the bullpen with a lead to protect. That relief group could be under strain: Didier Fuentes, Dylan Lee and closer Raisel Iglesias would each be working for a third consecutive day if called upon Thursday.
Holmes kept the assignment in simple terms. “I’m going to give them everything I have,” he said. “That’s what I can control.”
