Braves clinch home-field advantage, Olson breaks records with sweep of Cubs

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Braves' outstanding regular season is about to come to an end, but before they kick off their final series, they had a decisive victory that could be a big advantage in the postseason.

Matt Olson hit his major league-leading 54th homer, and the Braves clinched home-field advantage with a 5-3 win over the slumping Chicago Cubs on Thursday night.

Austin Riley had three hits and scored two runs as the Braves won for the sixth time in seven games. The NL East champions could match the franchise record for wins with a season-ending sweep of the Nationals.

"(Truist Park) is one of the best atmospheres in baseball," Olson said of clinching home-field advantage. "A bunch of fans who come out and support, understand the game. It’s the best place to play."

Chicago has dropped 13 of 19 to fall out of position for an NL wild card. With the three-game sweep by the Braves, the Cubs (82-77) fell a half-game back of Miami for the third wild card.

Atlanta rookie A.J. Smith-Shawver allowed a run in 3 2/3 hitless innings. Kyle Wright then came in and pitched 2 1/3 innings of one-run ball. Raisel Iglesias picked up his 32nd save with a perfect ninth inning.

Stroman was charged with four runs, two earned, and four hits in two innings. It was his second start and fourth appearance overall since coming off the injured list Sept. 15.

"I don’t think the confidence has dimmed," Stroman said. "Things are just not going our way. You can feel it and see it when things aren’t going your way. Everyone still thinks we can get the job done, it is just sometimes things aren’t in your favor."

Matt Olson #28 reacts as he rounds first base after hitting a two-run homer in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Truist Park on September 28, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Olson sets two records with one blast

Olson set a franchise record for RBIs in a season with his two-run drive in the first inning. The homer gave him 136 RBIs, surpassing the 135 for Eddie Matthews in 1953.

The big swing also gave the Braves 47 first-inning homers, breaking the MLB record. Olson has hit 12 of his 54 home runs in the first.

Still, Olson credited his teammates for making the big moves to keep the team ahead.

"You're not driving guys in without guys on base. We said it all here, the guys are all getting on base in front of me, so it's all them," he said.

After the sweep, the team is gearing up for the Nationals at home, and Olson said they hope to continue this amazing momentum.

"We wanted to come out and still play our game. We're already in the playoffs but we wanted to come out and be playing and peaking going into the playoffs," he said. "It was just a good series for us."

What's next for the Braves

The Braves are planning to hold intrasquad games on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week during their five-day break between the end of the regular season and the National League Division Series. They will be open to the public.

"I think it’s just as we processed all this and doing something different than we did last year," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "I thought we did a good job last year, but it wasn’t good enough, I don’t think."

The Braves lost to the Phillies in four games in the NLDS last season after having a five-day break after the regular season.

"We’ll try to keep everything like we would on a normal week as best we can," Snitker said. "I don’t know how long the games will be. It’ll be up to the pitching, but still make it more realistic than what we did last year."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.