Braves to use reliever Ray Kerr as opener in Wild Card Series finale

The Atlanta Braves announced that left-handed reliever Ray Kerr will start Thursday's decisive Wild Card Series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies. Kerr is set to act as an opener ahead of right-handed pitcher Grant Holmes. The strategy mirrors an outing from last week, where Kerr tossed three scoreless innings in an opener role against the Miami Marlins.

Kerr, who joined the Braves in mid-August following Tommy John surgery recovery, posted a 1.47 ERA across nine appearances. Holmes has recorded a career-best 3.44 ERA over 31 games this season. However, Holmes has had difficulty navigating through batting orders a second time, prompting the opener plan.