I think this series is our clearest evidence yet that 2026 should be a better year for the Atlanta Braves than 2025 was. Sure, it’s still very early and 13 games is only a small drop in the bucket of a full 162-game season but the Braves have already just gotten done doing something that they failed to do all last season: Win more than one (1) game in the state of California.
Indeed, the Braves are now back in Atlanta after pulling off a series win in California in order to up their record in the Golden State to 2-1. For reference’s sake, they went 1-12 in every game they played in that state last season. Already, things are looking up for this ballclubs and it’s not just the fact that they got this particular monkey off of their collective backs. There’s a lot to talk about from what was a wild (but successful) series in Anaheim against the Angels. Let’s get into it!
Monday, April 6
Angels 6, Braves 2
This game essentially came down to two bad innings from Chris Sale — two uncharacteristically bad innings, at that. The bottom of the fourth felt like one of those typical implosions that seems to happen with alarming regularity in the state of California for the Braves, no matter who’s pitching or playing. It started with Sale hitting our old friend Jorge Soler with a pitch and that was the start of five of the first six Angels batters in that frame reaching base safely. Despite the fact that only one of those was a hit that made it into the outfield, Sale managed to give up three runs in the process. Two singles, two walks and two hit-by-pitches was the method by which the Angels did their damage. He did strike out seven batters though, so there’s that.
The Braves were unable to respond in the next frame as Jose Soriano continued to absolutely mow down Braves hitters for what would turn into an excellent eight-inning performance from the Angels hurler. The Angels then rudely welcomed Sale back to the mound with a Jorge Soler single and then a two-run dinger from Jo Adell. That was the end of the night for Sale and essentially the end of the contest for the Braves as they were unable to muster up anything outside of a first-inning solo homer from Drake Baldwin and a ninth-inning solo shot from Mauricio Dubón.
Tuesday, April 7
Braves 7, Angels 2
Even when the Braves win one in California, it’s anything but normal. Jorge Soler continued to be a thorn in Atlanta’s side as he hit a two-run shot in the first inning that put the Angels ahead and it would’ve been understandable to think that this would be the start of another long and late night out West for the Braves. The good news is that this time, the Braves got up off of the mat and came back swinging. Eli White doubled in the first run of the night for the Braves in the second inning and then Atlanta took the lead in the fourth inning after rallying to score three more runs. Austin Riley tied the game up with an RBI single, which was lovely to se considering how much he has struggled to start this season
Funnily enough, there weren’t too many post-fight fireworks from both teams and things actually calmed down a bit. Atlanta’s bullpen did a very good job of covering the final four innings of this one after López got ejected, which meant that the runs scored by the Braves later on in the game weren’t sorely needed but were there purely as insurance. A solo homer from Ozzie Albies in the eighth gave Atlanta some real breathing room at 5-2 and then RBIs from Drake Baldwin and Matt Olson in the ninth inning allowed the Braves to pull away in order to make sure that this truculent ballgame ended in victorious fashion for Atlanta.
Wednesday, April 8
Braves 8, Angels 2
If you had told me that Grant Holmes would’ve gotten nearly seven full innings deep into this game after how the second inning went, first I’d be confused about you being a time traveler and using that power to inform me about a baseball game but then I’d be shocked at the result of said baseball game. Indeed, Grant Holmes looked like he was going to have a Sale-like implosion in the second inning of this one but he somehow got out of it by “only” giving up two runs. Those two runs would be all he’d surrender for the rest of his outing, as he quickly regained his composure and clamped down on the Angels from that point forward.
While that was going on, Atlanta’s lineup proved to be a bit much for Reid Detmers and the rest of the Angels pitching staff to deal with on the day. Austin Riley came to life in this one with a hit and two walks and each time he reached base, he scored. Riley even legged out a double in extremely cool fashion (with a swim move at second to finish it) as he looked as dynamic and threatening as he had since Opening Day. Ronald Acuña Jr. picked up a couple of good-luck hits in this one as well, so hopefully this’ll be the start of these two really getting going.
Ultimately, the Braves ended up cruising to victory in this one as Holmes settled down and went deep. Joel Payamps was able to make sure that Holmes’ line stayed looking good once he exited and then Jose Suarez delivered a nice performance over two innings as well. The series win marked Atlanta’s first series victory in California since 2024, which is when they downed this same Angels team over the course of three games in mid-August back then.
Is the California Curse over and limited to just 2025? They still have to go visit their National League foes in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco but for now, this was a huge relief to see the Braves pick up a series win in Anaheim and it was even better to see this team continue to avoid dropping any series so far. They’ve now either won or split each of the series that they’ve played here early on and you don’t need me to tell you that winning every series is a surefire way to rack up some wins across the long haul of a regular season.
A winning road trip in general is a lovely way for the Braves to return home. While they could’ve gotten more from the series in Arizona, taking two-out-of-three against a tricky Angels squad was the perfect way to make sure that this was a productive road trip. While Chris Sale’s performance was disappointing, even the staff ace is entitled to having a bad day now and then. It also helped that Reynaldo López was effective before he joined Fight Club (and they even got some best-case scenario news when it came to his inevitable suspension) and Grant Holmes came up big as well. The offense was also consistent over the course of these three games and hopefully this will get some of the stars like Acuña and Riley going as well.
Meanwhile, things won’t get a lot easier for the Braves once they return home to wear their clean new City Connect uniforms. The Cleveland Guardians won their series over the Kansas City Royals, so we’ll have two 8-5 teams doing baseball battle once the Braves get back in action on Friday night. That’ll certainly be a test for the bottom portion of this Braves rotation and another test to se if this lineup can continue getting it done. For now, they’ll be full of confidence following a productive road trip with a lot of positives to take home with them.
COVERS INTEL: McLean has a six-pitch arsenal that features a devastating sinker, a sweeper and curveball with elite movement, and a four-seamer that hits 98 mph.