The Atlanta Braves are set to have left-hander Ray Kerr make his first career postseason appearance as the opener against the Philadelphia Phillies in Thursday night’s decisive game of the NL Wild Card Series. The Braves announced the decision on Thursday. Veteran right-hander Aaron Nola is expected to start for the Phillies, coming off a regular season where he went 7-12 with a 4.67 ERA. Braves right-hander Grant Holmes, who has a 10-6 record and 3.44 ERA, is expected to pitch in bulk relief behind Kerr. Recently, on September 25, Kerr threw three scoreless innings as the opener at Miami, and Holmes allowed one run in four innings during a 3-0 loss. Kerr, aged 32, was recalled by Atlanta on August 16 and made his first major league appearance in more than two years the following day. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2024 and did not pitch at all in 2025. Since his return, Kerr has posted a 1.47 ERA in nine games with Atlanta. The Phillies beat the Braves 4-3 in 10 innings on Wednesday, forcing the decisive game of the best-of-three series.
