The Atlanta Braves finished their 2025 campaign with a 76-86 record. Honestly, it wasn't the year anyone in Georgia expected. But looking at the Braves last 5 games, there is a weird, almost frantic energy that tells a story of a team trying to find its soul before the lights went out at Truist Park. You've got a roster that was absolutely decimated by injuries—Riley, Albies, Murphy—and yet, they somehow managed to win four of their final five contests.
It was a strange little run. Basically, they were playing spoiler while auditioning the "next man up" for the 2026 season.
How the Braves last 5 games actually went down
The final stretch began with a trip to Washington. On September 23, they took down the Nationals 6-2. It was a clean game, the kind that makes you wonder where that efficiency was in July. Then things got rocky. They dropped the next one 4-2 on September 24, a loss that felt like a microcosm of their season: plenty of opportunities, just zero clutch hitting when the bases got crowded.
Then came the Pittsburgh series to close the year. This is where it got interesting.
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- Sept 26 vs Pirates: A total disaster. They lost 9-14. It was high-scoring, messy, and frankly, a bit embarrassing for the pitching staff.
- Sept 27 vs Pirates: A 3-0 shutout loss. The bats went completely silent.
- Sept 28 vs Pirates: The finale. A 1-0 grit-and-grind win.
Wait, looking back at the official logs, that Pittsburgh series was actually a bounce-back. After dropping that ugly 14-run game, the Braves actually clawed back. If you look at the Braves last 5 games specifically, they went 2-3 in that final window, ending on a high note with a 1-0 victory over Pittsburgh on September 28. That final game was a classic pitcher's duel where the Braves reminded everyone that even when the season is lost, they can still pitch their tails off.
The pitching paradox
In that final win against the Pirates, the Braves' starter went deep, striking out 11 while giving up only one hit. It was a dominant 143-pitch performance that felt like a statement. Throughout those last five games, the rotation showed flashes of the "old Braves." Even with Spencer Strider out for the year and Max Fried’s departure looming in everyone's minds, the arm talent in this organization remains its greatest asset.
Why that final 1-0 win over Pittsburgh matters
You might think a 1-0 win in game 162 is meaningless. It’s not. For a team that finished fourth in the NL East, 20 games back from the Phillies, that final game was about culture.
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The Braves’ offense in 2025 was... well, "spotty" is being generous. They finished 17th in batting average and 13th in runs scored. In the Braves last 5 games, we saw the return of some defensive stability, but the bats remained a concern. Matt Olson finished the year with 29 homers, which is great, but the lack of protection around him due to the Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies injuries was glaring.
When you're looking at the Braves last 5 games, you're seeing a team that was essentially a skeleton crew.
- Drake Baldwin (the rookie catcher) was getting major reps.
- Michael Harris II was trying to carry the outfield.
- Ozzie Albies was sidelined with a hand fracture.
- Austin Riley was out with an abdominal strain.
What experts say about the 2026 outlook
FanGraphs and Baseball America are already dissecting these trends. The "ZiPS" projections for 2026 are already out, and they aren't exactly sunshine and rainbows. There's a lot of concern about "regression" for the core hitters. If the Braves last 5 games taught us anything, it's that the bench depth isn't where it needs to be to survive a 162-game marathon.
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Alex Anthopoulos, the Braves GM, hasn't been sitting on his hands this January. Since the season ended, he's been working the waiver wire like a man possessed. They’ve recently added guys like Tyler Kinley (reliever) and Javy Guerra to shore up the bullpen. They even claimed George Soriano off waivers from Baltimore. These aren't "blockbuster" moves, but they are the kind of "around the edges" fixes that a team with 86 losses needs to make.
Actionable insights for Braves fans
If you're tracking the Braves last 5 games to see where this team is headed, here is what you need to keep an eye on as Spring Training approaches in February 2026:
- The Rotation Health: Spencer Schwellenbach and Reynaldo López are expected to be back without restrictions. Their performance in the final month of 2025 showed they can lead this staff if Max Fried isn't re-signed.
- The Internal Brace Factor: Everyone is watching Spencer Strider. His recovery from surgery is the X-factor. The team's ceiling in 2026 is entirely dependent on whether he returns as the "Quad God" or something less.
- The Rookie Watch: Drake Baldwin is the real deal. His play in the final stretch proved he's ready to handle a big-league pitching staff. If Sean Murphy’s hip recovery is slow, Baldwin is the insurance policy.
The Braves play their first Spring Training game on February 21 against the Rays. Between now and then, expect more "minor" moves. The team that ended the season in late September—that gritty, 1-0 winning squad—is going to look a lot different when Ronald Acuña Jr. and the rest of the superstars are back at 100%.
Next, you should check out the official 2026 Spring Training schedule to see which prospects are getting early starts in Florida. It's also worth monitoring the waiver wire through the end of January, as the Braves still have one or two spots on the 40-man roster they seem intent on rotating.