Michael Harris II went 4-for-5 and Drake Baldwin hit his 25th home run as Atlanta closed the regular season 94-67, locking in the NL's No. 3 seed.

Sale finished with a 2.16 ERA -- his best since 2018 -- and a franchise-record 24 consecutive starts allowing three runs or fewer. He's slated to start Atlanta's Wild Card opener, his first Braves postseason start since joining the club in 2024.

Perez, a waiver pickup who posted a 3.04 ERA over 26 starts, was placed on the IL Sept. 24 with lower back inflammation and is expected to miss the Wild Card round. Elieser Hernandez takes his roster spot.

Suarez returned from a two-plus-month absence (forearm/elbow inflammation) after rehab outings at Triple-A, giving Atlanta a high-leverage arm back as the club locks in home-field advantage for its Wild Card Series opening Sept. 29.

Ronald Acuna Jr. left a Sept. 22 game after fouling a pitch off his shin; X-rays and CT scans came back negative and manager Walt Weiss described his return as day-to-day. No update on his status since has been found.

Atlanta used Friday's loss to trial a bullpen-opener approach days before hosting a Wild Card series; Miami's Eury Pérez threw a complete-game one-hit shutout. Ray Kerr opened with three scoreless innings and manager Walt Weiss said the approach "could become an option" for the postseason. "Whatever position they put me in, I'm gonna compete at it," Kerr said.

Suárez was activated and pitched a scoreless inning, while Pérez returned to the IL with lower back inflammation. Atlanta finished the regular season 52-29 at Truist Park.

Atlanta is locked into the NL's No. 3 seed but does not yet know its Wild Card host opponent. The Braves went 9-4 against Philadelphia this season, while San Diego swept them in June.

Atlanta's final home game of the season ended in a 7-6 loss, closing the home slate at 52-29 — the club's best home record since 2022. Ronald Acuña Jr. doubled and stole a base with no lingering effect from an earlier shin injury; closer Tyler Mahle allowed 5 earned runs in his final regular-season tune-up.

Sale struck out his 200th batter of the season in his final regular-season start, finishing with a 2.16 ERA — his lowest since 2018 — and a franchise record of 24 consecutive starts allowing three or fewer runs. Atlanta won 3-2 in 10 innings on a Mauricio Dubón walk-off.

Pérez was placed on the injured list with lower back inflammation and will miss the Wild Card series; Chris Sale and Tyler Mahle are slated to start the first two games, with Grant Holmes as the likely Game 3 option.

Atlanta activated All-Star closer Robert Suarez from the 60-day injured list after a two-plus month absence with a forearm strain. The club plans to use him sparingly down the stretch to determine his postseason role.

Atlanta lost 3-2 in extra innings to Cincinnati; Austin Riley's home run tied the game in the seventh before Mauricio Dubón's grounder drove in the winning run for the Reds in the 10th.

With the NL East wrapped up, Atlanta (92-64) is almost certainly hosting a Wild Card series Sept. 29; FanGraphs gives the Braves just a 0.9% chance of climbing to the No. 2 seed behind Milwaukee (98-58) and the Dodgers (96-60). Atlanta went 5-1 head-to-head against the Dodgers this season, which would matter for a tiebreaker.

Rookie reliever JR Ritchie's ERA rose to 5.03 after allowing 6 earned runs in 4.2 innings against the Cubs, raising questions about his playoff bullpen role. Chris Sale (14-9, 2.18 ERA) and Tyler Mahle (1.28 ERA since his August trade-deadline acquisition) are set as the postseason 1-2 rotation punch.

Reliever Robert Suarez threw a scoreless inning for Triple-A Gwinnett Sunday, his first game action since June 19. Bryce Elder, who had knee surgery Sept. 8, says he is ahead of schedule. Lane Thomas (intercostal strain since Sept. 10) is hoping to beat his 4-6 week recovery timeline.

clinched Sun 9/20 win over HOU, first div title since 2023, 24th franchise div title ties MLB record; still alive for #1 seed bye vs MIL/LAD, else #3 seed hosting WC series at Truist starting 9/29; magic number dropped to 1 on 9/19; season closes with CIN series then road set at MIA

Mike Yastrzemski's three-run homer in a four-run sixth powered Atlanta to its first division title since 2023; the win came a day after last week's separate wild-card berth clinch.

The reliever, out since June 19 with right elbow inflammation, posted a 0.56 ERA before his injury and could be a late-postseason bullpen boost.