What's ahead? Braves postseason FAQ

Freddie Freeman debuted just before the Braves ensured that Bobby Cox would enjoy one more trip to the playoffs. Next week, the reigning National League MVP will participate in the postseason with the Braves for the sixth time.

Freeman has seen a lot during his long, successful tenure in Atlanta. But few things have been as satisfying as the fourth consecutive NL East title the Braves clinched with a 5-3 win over the Phillies on Thursday night.

At the end of a season during which two key outfielders, Marcell Ozuna and Ronald Acuña Jr., were lost, the Braves persevered and then finally started rolling after their outfield was reconstructed at the Trade Deadline.

“Obviously, we had high expectations coming in this year, and then things just went haywire at the beginning of the year,” Freeman said. “To overcome what we overcame as a team, I think that is why this is one of the sweetest.”

Here’s a look ahead at the Braves postseason:

What could the postseason roster look like?
After using a 28-man roster in September, teams will return to utilizing a 26-man roster during the postseason. Braves manager Brian Snitker has always favored carrying an extra pitcher. But there is reason to question whether it’s necessary to carry 14 pitchers during a best-of-five series.

If the Braves were to carry 13 pitchers and 13 position players, there is a chance top prospect Cristian Pache could be promoted from Triple-A Gwinnett to serve as potential pinch-runner and late-inning defensive replacement. Guillermo Heredia could also serve as a late-inning defensive replacement. But without another obvious option, it might make sense to carry both Heredia and Pache, the latter of whom is both faster and more skilled defensively.

C: Travis d'Arnaud, William Contreras
1B: Freddie Freeman
2B: Ozzie Albies
SS: Dansby Swanson
3B: Austin Riley
UTIL: Ehire Adrianza
OF: Adam Duvall, Jorge Soler, Eddie Rosario, Joc Pederson, Guillermo Heredia, Cristian Pache
SP: Charlie Morton, Max Fried, Ian Anderson, Huascar Ynoa
RP: Will Smith, Luke Jackson, Tyler Matzek, A.J. Minter, Chris Martin, Jesse Chavez, Sean Newcomb, Richard Rodríguez, Jacob Webb

What’s left to play for?
Having clinched with a few days left in the regular season, the Braves will take advantage of the chance to rest some of their position players and make sure all of their relievers get some work. Morton’s next turn will come Sunday; if the Braves opt to start Morton in Sunday’s regular-season finale, they may opt to limit him to a few innings.

Even if Morton were to throw a few innings Sunday, he would be available on regular rest to start Game 1 of the NL Division Series. Fried is also a strong candidate to start the first game. Whichever of the two hurlers ends up starting Game 2 would also be available to start a potential Game 5 on regular rest.

Who will they face in the first round?
The Braves will be playing a Brewers squad that will be missing Devin Williams, who fractured his right hand when he punched a wall after celebrating the team’s NL Central title Sunday. Even without Williams, the Brewers still have a formidable bullpen and a strong starting rotation.

This will be the first time Milwaukee and Atlanta have matched up in a playoff series. The two teams split six regular-season games this year.

When do the playoffs start?
Games 1 and 2 of the NLDS will take place on Oct. 8-9 at American Family Field. Game 3 and a potential Game 4 are set for Oct. 11-12 at Truist Park. A potential Game 5 is scheduled for Oct. 14 back in Milwaukee.

Any injuries of note?
The injury bug hit the Braves hard during the early portion of this season. They went the whole season without potential ace Mike Soroka, while d’Arnaud missed three months. Of course the most significant injury was the torn right ACL that ended Acuña’s season on July 10. But since Anderson returned in late August from a seven-week absence to rest his right shoulder, Atlanta has been fortunate on the injury front.