PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – SEPTEMBER 04: Austin Riley #27 and Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves high five after a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies a game at Citizens Bank Park on September 04, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) Getty
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 23: Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after a home run during the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Truist Park on September 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) Getty
The MLB playoffs begin today!! (September 29) The action begins with the National League Wild Card matchup between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies.
First pitch is at 2:15 pm EST, and both teams are deploying very formidable starters. For Atlanta, it is rolling with Chris Sale in the series opener, and the Phillies are opting to go with Jesus Luzardo as their starter.
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Both teams have officially announced their lineup, and for the Braves, the lineup drop features a notable Austin Riley decision.
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Braves’ Austin Riley batting 7th in series opener
GettyPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – SEPTEMBER 04: Austin Riley #27 and Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves high five after a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies a game at Citizens Bank Park on September 04, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
In the NLWC series opener against the Phillies, Austin Riley will bat seventh and play third base, which isn’t a huge surprise.
Here is the full Atlanta Braves batting order, per @UnderdogMLB:
“Braves 9/29 D. Baldwin C R. Acuña Jr. RF M. Olson 1B M. Dubón LF M. Harris II CF O. Albies 2B A. Riley 3B M. Yastrzemski DH H. Kim SS C. Sale SP”
A few lineup notes: Mike Yastrzemski gets the start at DH, with the anticipation that Luzardo won’t throw very long, and Ha-Seong Kim gets the start at SS. Mauricio Dubon is the team’s cleanup hitter, and Ozzie Albies (who crushes lefties) will bat sixth.
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Looking at Austin Riley’s 2026 Season
GettyATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 23: Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after a home run during the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Truist Park on September 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Now that the regular season is officially in the books, we can take a look at Austin Riley’s season as a whole.
Over 159 games played and 566 total at-bats, Austin Riley batted .219 with 19 home runs and a career-low OPS+ of 80.
He also added 21 doubles, 72 RBI, 64 runs scored, and 124 hits to the Braves’ regular-season offense.
However, the regular season is in the past, and Austin Riley can write all those wrongs by having a big moment or two in the MLB playoffs. Riley would likely be the first to admit he had a poor offensive season, but October baseball can bring a breath of fresh air to players who struggled over the past several months.
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