MLB Standings: Braves Gain Ground In NL East

The Atlanta Braves began the week 6.5 games behind the NL East leading Washington Nationals, but the team now finds themselves 4.5 games back with nine games left to play, after the Braves took five of their seven games this week.

While Atlanta's odds of winning the NL East division remains slim, the team does have a very comfortable lead on one of the two wild card spots.

With a win Sunday afternoon, the Braves magic number is down to just two and the team will have an opportunity to clinch a playoffs berth at home, as the team will play six straight games at home starting Tuesday before closing out the season with a three-game series on the road.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Atlanta. For more in-depth coverage, head over to Braves blog Talking Chop. And for more news, notes and analysis from around the league, visit Baseball Nation.

Braves vs. Phillies Score: Tim Hudson Leads Atlanta To 2-1 Win, Series Victory

The Braves clinched a series victory on Sunday afternoon against the Phillies, riding an excellent performance from Tim Hudson to a 2-1 win. Atlanta finishes the year 12-8 against their National League East foes and cut their magic number down to two games.

Hudson was terrific against a red-hot Phillies lineup, tossing 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball. He gave up just two hits and one walk, striking out four. The run he allowed was unearned, dropping his ERA to 3.61 this season.

Cliff Lee struggled a bit in the early going but really settled in late, working eight innings. He surrendered two runs (one earned) on nine hits. Lee struck out 11.

David Ross plated the first run of the game with a deep homer to center field in the second inning. Dan Uggla then drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the third to make it 2-0 in Atlanta's favor. Chase Utley hit a sac fly of his own in the sixth to plate Jimmy Rollins in the sixth.

After Hudson departed in the eighth, Eric O'Flaherty tossed a perfect 2/3 of an inning. Craig Kimbrel then worked a 1-2-3 ninth to secure a victory and his 39th save of the year.

Depending on whether or not the Brewers win, the magic number could be down to one after Sunday.

The Braves have an off-day on Monday before returning to Turner Field for a six-game home stand. The Marlins will be up first.

Braves Vs. Phillies Time, TV, Radio Info And More

The Atlanta Braves will try to clinch their series with the Phillies with a win in Sunday afternoon's finale. The Braves handled the Phils for an 8-2 win on Saturday and they'll now look to Tim Hudson to finish things off as they continue to push for a Wild Card berth. Hudson enters the game with a 15-6 record and a 3.77 ERA but he's been roughed up a bit in his last two outings, giving up four runs in each. This will be his fifth start of the season against the division rival Phillies, and the veteran righty has a 5.32 ERA against them in 2012.

The Phillies, who are desperately trying to chase down the second Wild Card spot, will send Cliff Lee to the mound. Lee had an interminable drought this season before picking up his first win, but he's been dominant lately during the Phillies September charge. The Phils have won all four starts he's made this month, and the lefty has posted a ridiculous .95 ERA in those outings.

Schedule and broadcast information for the series finale:

Game Date/Time: Sunday, Sept. 23 at 1:35 p.m. ET

TV: FoxSportsSouth

Radio: WNNX 100.5, WCNN 680 (Atlanta)

For more on the Braves, be sure to check out Talking Chop. Also, don't forget to head over to Baseball Nation for coverage of the MLB regular season stretch run.

Braves vs. Phillies Final Score: Freddie Freeman, Jason Heyward Lead Atlanta To 8-2 Win

The Atlanta Braves scored early and often against Roy Halladay on Saturday afternoon, battering around the veteran ace to the tune of six runs in the first three innings. Mike Minor backed up the offense with six strong innings of work, and the offense added a couple of insurance runs late as the Braves went on to win 8-2.

With two outs and two strikes in the first inning, Freddie Freeman, who has been slumping the last few weeks, turned on an inside fastball and sent it off the second-deck facade at Citizens Bank Park for a three-run homer.

Jason Heyward came up with the bases loaded in the second and sent a ball deep down the right field line, hooking it just fair to clear the bases. Chipper Jones then drove Heyward home to give Atlanta a 7-0 lead.

The Phillies scored their first run of the game on a sacrifice fly from Darin Ruf in the third inning that plated Kevin Frandsen. Ryan Howard hit a solo homer -- his fourth long ball in as many days -- in the fourth to cut the deficit to 7-2.

Heyward singled home an insurance in the eighth for his fourth RBI of the day. Jonny Venters and Eric O'Flaherty then worked a scoreless eighth and ninth inning, respectively, to secure Atlanta's 87th victory of the season.

The Braves' magic number is now three games.

Tim Hudson and Cliff Lee will meet in the series finale on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET.

For more on the Braves, check out Talking Chop.

Braves To Shuffle Rotation For Postseason, Pitch Kris Medlen in Wildcard Game

#Braves will align rotation so that Medlen on pace to start Wild Card game, Hudson game 1 of division series.

— David O'Brien (@ajcbraves) September 22, 2012

Braves Vs. Phillies Time, TV, Radio Info And More

The Atlanta Braves took on the Philadelphia Phillies Friday night in the first game of their weekend series at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. The Phillies came out victorious, 6-2, as they continue to chase the St. Louis Cardinals for an NL Wild Card spot.

Atlanta isn't in the same desperate position as Philadelphia, but they're still trying to lock up a spot in the playoffs. The Braves sit 5 1/2 games behind the Washington Nationals for the NL East lead, but they still have a firm grip on the NL Wild Card. The magic number for the Braves to clinch a spot in the postseason sits at five.

This means there's a lot on the line for both teams when they resume their series on Saturday afternoon. The Braves plan to send left-hander Mike Minor to the mound to face off against the Phillies' Roy Halladay.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 22 at 4:05 p.m. ET

TV: FOX

Radio: WNNX 100.5, WCNN 680 (Atlanta)

Stay tuned to SB Nation Atlanta for more in-depth coverage of this series. You can also visit Braves blog Talking Chop and Phillies blog The Good Phight. For more news, notes and analysis from around the league, visit Baseball Nation.

Braves Vs. Phillies: Game Two Of Possible Wild Card Preview

The Atlanta Braves will look to bounce back from Friday night's loss to the Philadelphia Phillies when the two teams take the field for the second of a three-game series in Philadelphia.

The Phillies struck first with a 6-2 victory on the strength of four homeruns from their streaking lineup. Both teams had six hits but the Phillies' guaranteed at least four runs with theirs.

It won't be easy for the Braves' lineup to get on track as the Phillies will trot out Roy Halladay against the Braves' Mike Minor. Halladay has struggled this year with only a 10-9 record and a 4.03 ERA but he's still Roy Halladay, one of the best in the business. Minor counters with a record of 9-10 and a 4.31 ERA.

The Braves are clinging to a Wild Card spot while the Phillies are only three games back.

For more on the Braves, be sure to check out Talking Chop.

Braves Vs. Phillies Final Score: Atlanta Falls Victim To Long Ball, 6-2

The Atlanta Braves fell to the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-2, on Friday in Philadelphia.

Braves starting pitcher Tommy Hanson gave up five runs on four hits including three home runs in 5 1/3 innings pitched. The Phillies' Ryan Howard, Kevin Frandsen and Carlos Ruiz all went yard. Frandsen's came in the third inning to make it 2-1 and Howard and Ruiz hit back-to-back homers in the fourth inning to make it 4-1.

In the bottom of the eighth, Chase Utley homered off of reliever Luis Avilan to finish the scoring for the Phillies.

Brian McCann had a groundout RBI in the second inning and Jose Constanza added an RBI single in the seventh for the Braves.

Phillies' pitcher Kyle Kendrick picked up the win after giving up two runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings.

The Phillies have now won four in a row and the Braves will have to regroup in order to steal the last two games of this three-game series.

Game Two is Saturday at 4:05 p.m. ET with the Braves' Mike Minor and the Phillies' Roy Halladay on the mound.

For more on the Braves, be sure to check out Talking Chop.

Paul Janish Injury: Braves Shortstop Out 2-4 Weeks

According to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Braves backup shortstop Paul Janish will miss a minimum of two weeks and possibly three to four with a dislocated left shoulder.

Janish hurt the shoulder on Tuesday and hasn't played since. Janish's injury, coupled with the loss of shortstop Andrelton Simmons for three straight games since straining his left shoulder, put utility left fielder Martin Prado at shortstop for the past three games. Simmons latest omission from the lineup was more of a precautionary measure by the team but it still leaves a gaping hole at short for the Braves.

Janish hopes to avoid surgery and wants to rehab the shoulder in time to contribute during the postseason.

In 55 games with the Braves, Janish is hitting only .186 with 31 hits and nine RBI.

For more on the Braves, be sure to check out Talking Chop. And for more news, notes and analysis from around the league, visit Baseball Nation.

Braves Vs. Phillies Lineups: Michael Bourn Leads Off For Atlanta

On Friday night, the Atlanta Braves open up a series against the streaking Philadelphia Phillies, who have won three games in a row. The Phillies have gotten themselves into the Wild Card picture, but they would have to leapfrog three teams in order to make the playoffs. The lineups for the game are listed below.

Atlanta:

1. Michael Bourn (L) CF
2. Martin Prado (R) SS
3. Jason Heyward (L) RF
4. Chipper Jones (S) 3B
5. Freddie Freeman (L) 1B
6. Dan Uggla (R) 2B
7. Brian McCann (L) C
8. Jose Constanza (L) LF
9. Tommy Hanson (R) P

Related: The Top-Five Surprises On The 2012 Atlanta Braves

Philadelphia:

1. Jimmy Rollins (S) SS
2. Juan Pierre (L) LF
3. Chase Utley (L) 2B
4. Ryan Howard (L) 1B
5. Carlos Ruiz (R) C
6. Domonic Brown (L) RF
7. John Mayberry (R) CF
8. Kevin Frandsen (R) 3B
9. Kyle Kendrick (R) P

For updates on tonight's game, stay tuned to SB Nation Atlanta. For more in-depth coverage of this series, visit Braves blog Talking Chop and Phillies blog The Good Phight. And for more news, notes and analysis from around the league, visit Baseball Nation.

Braves vs. Phillies: Potential NL Wild Card Preview Arrives In Philadelphia

The Braves and Phillies meet for a big three-game series with playoff implications on the line.

Braves Vs. Phillies Time, TV, Radio Info And More

The Braves look to close in on a playoff spot against the Phillies.

MLB Standings: Braves Enjoy Healthy Wild Card Lead With 12 Games Remaining

With the 2012 season winding down, the Atlanta Braves continue to lead the National League's Wild Card race, six games clear of the St. Louis Cardinals, who occupy the league's second Wild Card slot.

With two Wild Card spots available for the first time, the Braves are 8.5 games ahead of the line for a playoff spot with 12 games remaining on Atlanta's schedule. In the NL East race, the Braves are 5.5 games back of the Washington Nationals, who clinched a playoff spot with their victory on Thursday night.

Here are the NL East standings:

And the Wild Card standings:

Check out the full MLB playoff picture and standings here.

For more Braves coverage, check out Talking Chop.