MLB Standings: Braves make up no ground Thursday, despite win

With a 6-2 win over the Marlins on Thursday night, the Braves earned win No. 91, tied for the third-most in the National League and fourth-most in the MLB. Despite that solid record, the Braves are still four games behind the Washington Nationals for the NL East lead with just six games left for each team.

By defeating the Phillies, 7-3, on the road, the Nationals held their lead in the NL East and dropped the magic number for the division crown to four. The Nationals have plenty of motivation to finish strong too, as they hold a one game lead for homefield advantage throughout the National League playoffs.

To catch the Nationals, the Braves will need at least four wins in their final six games, with three at home against the Mets and three on the road against the Pirates. Washington will need to lose at least four of their six games, beginning with a road series against the Cardinals and finishing with a home series against the Phillies.

Here is a look at the full N.L. East standings entering play on Friday:

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The Braves picked up their 91st win of the season on Thursday night, sweeping the Marlins at Turner Field.

Marlins vs. Braves lineups: Tommy Hanson to face-off against Jacob Turner

The Atlanta Braves have already punched their ticket to the playoffs with a 4-3 victory over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night. On Thursday, they'll go for the sweep over Miami as they continue their run toward a division title.

Atlanta has gone 16-7 in the month of September and trails the Washington Nationals by four games with seven to play.

Both teams have released their Thursday lineups with first pitch coming from Turner Field at 7:10 p.m ET. Here is the order for the visiting Marlins:

1. Bryan Petersen (L) LF
2. Gorkys Hernandez (R) CF
3. Jose Reyes (S) SS
4. Carlos Lee (R) 1B
5. Rob Brantly (L) C
6. Donovan Solano (R) 2B
7. Scott Cousins (L) RF
8. Gil Velazquez (R) 3B
9. Jacob Turner (R) P

And now, for the Braves:

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

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The Atlanta Braves go for a sweep on Thursday when they wrap up their series against the Miami Marlins. The Braves have already secured a playoff berth and are still mathematically alive in the race for the NL East crown, though it appears they will end up with one of the wild card slots. With seven games left in the regular season, they are four games behind the Washington Nationals.

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The Marlins, on the other hand, are just playing out the string on a disappointing season. They've lost six in a row and eight of 10.

The Braves are scheduled to start Tommy Hanson (12-9, 4.46 ERA) on the mound, while the Marlins are expected to go with Jacob Turner (2-4, 5.23). Hanson has not won a start since July 30, and he gave up five runs in his last appearance.

Game Time: 7:10 p.m. ET

TV: Sports South

Radio: WCNN 680 The Fan

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Michael Bourn continues to miss time after injuring his thumb sliding head first into second base. There is no structural damage to the hand, and Bourn could return on Thursday. Jose Constanza is playing in his place.

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The Atlanta Braves are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2010, and they're more than likely going to land home-field advantage for the one-game playoff against the second wild card qualifier. Currently, the St. Louis Cardinals lead the chase for the last NL playoff ticket by 4.5 games.

Prior to Wednesday's game, the Braves have a 5.5 lead over the Cardinals for the first wild card spot, so unless Atlanta completely collapses down the stretch, they will get to host whichever team wins the second wild card berth on the first day of the playoffs, which are scheduled for Oct. 5.

The Braves final three series are against teams that are currently under .500 in the Marlins, Mets and Pirates, while the Cardinals schedule is much more difficult the rest of the way. They do get the Astros for one more game on Wednesday night, but their final two series are at home against the Nationals and Reds.

Marlins Vs. Braves Lineups: Atlanta Tries To Gain Ground In NL East With Paul Maholm

The Atlanta Braves host the Miami Marlins Wednesday night in hopes of gaining further ground in the National League East. The Braves currently trail the Washington Nationals by four games with eight games to play. They have already clinched a spot in the NL postseason. Atlanta will send southpaw Paul Maholm to the mound. Maholm is 12-10 on the year, and sports a 3.85 ERA. Miami will counter with Josh Johnson, who comes in at 8-13 with a 3.84 ERA.

The lineups are as follows:

Atlanta Braves

1. Jose Constanza (L) CF
2. Martin Prado (R) LF
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. Andrelton Simmons (R) SS
9. Paul Maholm (L) P

Miami Marlins

1. Bryan Petersen (L) LF
2. Gorkys Hernandez (R) CF
3. Jose Reyes (S) SS
4. Carlos Lee (R) 1B
5. Greg Dobbs (L) RF
6. Donovan Solano (R) 2B
7. Jon Buck (R) C
8. Gil Velazquez (R) 3B
9. Josh Johnson (L) P

Wednesday's game will start at 7:10PM EST.

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After the gut-wrenching way they ended the 2011 season, the Atlanta Braves will wake up on Wednesday feeling great after Freddie Freeman clinched their spot in the 2012 playoffs with a two-run walk-off HR against the Miami Marlins.

However, while they're undoubtedly already thinking about the one-game wild card playoff round, they still need to play out the rest of the regular season.

That continues on Wednesday, when Atlanta sends Paul Maholm to the mound to face off against Josh Johnson.

Maholm, who has been somewhat inconsistent since coming over from the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline, will be pitching for his spot in the playoff rotation.

He went 6⅔ innings and gave up only two earned runs while earning a no-decision in his last start, also against the Marlins, but that was after giving up six earned runs in only 4⅓ innings of work Sept. 12 against Milwaukee.

Johnson, one of the most talented pitchers in MLB, has had an up-and-down 2012, with an 8-13 record and a 3.84 ERA.

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Braves vs. Marlins Score: Freddie Freeman's walk-off blast sends Atlanta to postseason

The Atlanta Braves are going to the 2012 playoffs.

With the team trailing 3-2 in the ninth inning, Mike Dunn came out of the Marlins bullpen. Chipper Jones, playing the final home stand of his career, led off the inning with a line-drive double to right-center field. That brought up Freddie Freeman.

Freeman took ball one and then swung through a slider for the first strike against him. The next pitch was a knee-high fastball, which the 23-year-old first baseman crushed into the Turner Field sky. The ball sailed over the center field wall, clinching the first playoff birth for Atlanta since 2010.

Kris Medlen had his worst start of the season, giving up three runs over seven innings. With the Braves leading 2-1 in the seventh, Donovan Solano hit his second homer of the night to give Miami a 3-2 lead. Following the late rally by the Braves, the team has now won Medlen's last 22 starts.

The two clubs will meet again on Wednesday night at 7:10 p.m. ET. It'll be Paul Maholm and Josh Johnson on the mound.

Marlins Vs. Braves Lineups: Atlanta Tries To Clinch Playoff Spot Behind Kris Medlen

The Atlanta Braves have the opportunity to clinch a playoff spot when they face the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night. They turn to ace Kris Medlen (9-1, 1.51 ERA) to make that happen. Pitching for Miami will be Nathan Eovaldi (4-12, 4.36 ERA).

The lineup for the Braves:

1. Reed Johnson (R) CF
2. Martin Prado (R) LF
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. Andrelton Simmons (R) SS
9. Kris Medlen (S) P

The lineup for the Marlins:

1. Bryan Petersen (L) LF
2. Gorkys Hernandez (R) CF
3. Jose Reyes (S) SS
4. Carlos Lee (R) 1B
5. Greg Dobbs (L) RF
6. Donovan Solano (R) 2B
7. Rob Brantly (L) C
8. Gil Velazquez (R) 3B
9. Nathan Eovaldi (R) P

First pitch is at 7:10 p.m.

Stick with this storystream for updates, scores and more from the Braves vs. Marlins. For more insight and analysis, check out Braves blog Talking Chop. For Miami's perspective, head over to Marlins blog Fish Stripes.

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