Braves Start Solid, Sit Atop NL East

The Atlanta Braves have surged to the top of the NL East early in the professional baseball season.

The Braves (14–7) have firmly established themselves with the #1 spot in the National League East following a dominant Saturday night victory over the rival Philadelphia Phillies, which extends the hometown franchise’s winning streak to four games, and extending their division lead over the second place Marlins by 5 games.

Notably, the Braves currently boast the best run differential (+55) in the National League, signaling a return to the elite form that defined their six-year divisional reign prior to 2024.

Veteran left-hander Chris Sale (4–1) outdueled Cristopher Sánchez on Saturday against the home team Phillies, striking out seven over seven innings. During this start, Sale surpassed Hall of Famer Tom Glavine to move into 29th place on the MLB all-time career strikeouts list.

Despite missing several key players currently on the injured list, the lineup continues to produce. Austin Riley has shown signs of a major bounce-back year, recently belting two homers in the series opener against Philadelphia.

In a major boost to the staff, Spencer Strider made his first rehab appearance this week, tossing 3 1/3 scoreless frames as he nears a return to the big league rotation.

The Braves aim for a series sweep against the Phillies tonight at Citizens Bank Park (7:20 p.m. ET). Grant Holmes (1–1, 3.32 ERA) is slated to take the mound for Atlanta, facing off against Andrew Painter.

As the calendar turns toward May, the Braves are not only leading the East but have moved up to No. 2 in the latest FOX Sports MLB Power Rankings, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in baseball.