Braves clinch playoff berth with win in Houston

“It is, and especially the way we did it, losing all the pitching we did,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “June was a really rough month. I think people completely wrote us off after June. We were missing some guys in June. Every team goes through that. But we’ve been hit hard from, literally, the first day of spring training.

“So we’ve had some guys grab hold of some opportunities, and that was the message in spring training when we were losing guys, losing pitchers. It’s going to create opportunities for guys and they’re going to make the most of it, and they did. It’s a really good group, and they respond well to tough games, tough weeks. They just bounce back well. Very resilient.”

With their 90th win of the season, the Braves became one of three teams in the NL to qualify for the postseason thus far. The Brewers, who hold the NL’s best record, and the Dodgers are the other two.

Also on Friday, the Braves’ magic number to clinch the NL East was trimmed to three because of the Phillies’ loss to the Mets. A second clubhouse celebration, one for winning the division, could come as soon as Sunday.

“Hopefully some bigger celebrations ahead,” Weiss said after raising a glass of Champagne to salute his team after Friday’s win. “We just toasted to (the playoffs) tonight, and hopefully, shortly we’ll have a big celebration.”

Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II and Matt Olson all hit two-run homers in Friday’s win and right-handed starter Tyler Mahle held the Astros to one run in six innings. The final score also wasn’t quite indicative of how closely contested the game was throughout.

With a 4-1 lead in the eighth, two outs, and a runner on first, Braves right-handed reliever Didier Fuentes walked Yordan Alvarez on four pitches. Isaac Paredes lobbed an RBI single down the left field line to make it 4-2, but then Acuña made the play of the night by racing in to make a lunging catch on a shallow fly ball hit by Jose Altuve.

That play proved even more crucial going to the top of the ninth, where Olson hit a two-run opposite-field home run, his 40th of the season, to virtually seal the win.

Closer Raisel Iglesias pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth to make the victory, and postseason bid, official.

“That’s one of the main goals going into the year at spring training, we talk about it,” Harris said of getting to the playoffs. “You want to win the World Series, you can’t get there without making the playoffs. It’s obviously good to be in this situation right now.”

The Braves began Friday night by going without a hit through 3 1/3 innings against Astros starter Peter Lambert (8-10). But Olson’s line-drive single preceded Harris hitting a first-pitch breaking ball 367 feet the other way for a two-run homer, his 26th long ball of the season.

Not to be outdone, the Astros, who had been no-hit by Mahle through three innings, got a cue ball shot double down the left field line to begin the bottom of the fourth. Isaac Paredes’ RBI single up the middle cut the deficit in half.

That would be all Mahle (7-10) would allow in six innings of work as he continued to prove he was one of baseball’s best pickups at the August trade deadline. Mahle’s ERA in eight starts with the Braves is now 1.28, and he just happened to be the one to pitch his new squad into the playoffs.

“Night and day,” Mahle said about coming from the Giants to a playoff team. “I wasn’t pitching well, got traded here, I’m pitching well and I’m on a playoff team. I didn’t help our chances in San Francisco, I know that. But got a second chance and I’ve been able to capitalize on my chances, on my opportunities. So looking to keep it going. Just super excited for this club.”

In the seventh inning, facing right-hander AJ Blubaugh, Acuña hit a fastball 111-mph out to left for a two-run homer to put the Braves up 4-1. It was Acuña’s 19th homer and sixth this month.

The homer also turned out to be the game-winner.

“I’ve been telling (Acuña) since I got here, since I got here I haven’t seen Ronald Acuña (stuff),” Braves shortstop Mauricio Dubón said. “Let me see Ronald Acuña (stuff). Let me see some Ronald Acuña (stuff). Haven’t seen it all year. He’s been hurt or he’s been lacking over there. So now I get to see a couple of that stuff.”