Braves Seek Sweep of Royals in Series Finale

Atlanta looks to build on late-inning heroics in first two games of the series

Mar. 29, 2026 at 10:22am

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The Atlanta Braves, who lost their first seven games a year ago, go for a three-game sweep of the visiting Kansas City Royals on Sunday. Atlanta won the season opener 6-0 on Friday and rallied for six runs in the ninth inning on Saturday for a 6-2 walk-off victory, thanks to Dominic Smith's grand slam.

Why it matters

The Braves are looking to avoid the slow start that plagued them last season, while the Royals are searching for their first win of the young season after being shut out in the opener and scoring just two runs in the second game.

The details

The pitching matchup for the series finale features Atlanta's Grant Holmes, who is coming off a partially torn UCL, against Kansas City's Seth Lugo, who is entering his third season with the Royals. Lugo has had success against the Braves in his career, going 6-5 with a 3.76 ERA overall and 5-0 with a 1.87 ERA in six career starts. The Royals' offense has struggled so far, with Salvador Perez's solo homer in the second game being their only run scored until an error led to another run.

  • The series finale is on Sunday, March 30, 2026.
  • Last season, the Braves lost their first seven games.

The players

Walt Weiss

The manager of the Atlanta Braves.

Grant Holmes

The starting pitcher for the Atlanta Braves, who is coming off a partially torn UCL.

Seth Lugo

The starting pitcher for the Kansas City Royals, who is entering his third season with the team.

Dominic Smith

The Atlanta Braves player who hit a game-winning grand slam in the ninth inning of the second game of the series.

Osvaldo Bido

The Atlanta Braves player who struck out the side in the ninth inning to earn the win in the second game of the series.

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What they’re saying

“Just putting that narrative behind this from last year. Last night was a great night, opening night, and to follow it up with something like this … There's some good mojo going already, you know, after two games.”

— Walt Weiss, Atlanta Braves Manager

“The elbow is strong. No setbacks in the rehab. I feel like every day I got better. Didn't have any days where I went backward. I feel like the time off really helped by elbow kind of heal and get the rest it needed.”

— Grant Holmes

“It was the first run we'd scored in two games, so everybody was excited. Sally (Perez) has done that a million times and it was big for us, and to tack on another one in the eighth, that was good. We just need to do more to get ahead by more than what we were then.”

— Matt Quatraro, Kansas City Royals Manager

“What a moment for Dom. He's just a professional hitter. I used to hate to see him in the box when he was on the other side because I knew it was going to be a tough out. I'm just glad he's on our club.”

— Walt Weiss, Atlanta Braves Manager

What’s next

The Braves will look to complete the sweep and build momentum for the rest of the season, while the Royals will try to get their offense going and avoid a winless start.

The takeaway

The Braves' late-inning heroics in the first two games of the series have them poised for an early-season sweep, while the Royals' struggling offense continues to be a concern as they search for their first win.