Braves Seek Sweep of Royals in Series Finale

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

Mar. 29, 2026 at 3:25pm

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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 get off to a strong start this season after struggling out of the gate in 2025. A sweep of the Royals would give them early momentum and confidence heading into the rest of the season. The Royals, meanwhile, are still searching for their first win and need to find a way to generate more offense.

The details

The pitching matchup for the series finale features Atlanta's Grant Holmes against Kansas City's Seth Lugo. Holmes is looking to bounce back after being shut down last July with a partially torn UCL, while Lugo will try to build on his strong 2024 season. The Royals' offense has been held in check so far, with their only runs coming on a solo homer from Salvador Perez and an error.

  • The series finale is on Sunday, March 29, 2026.
  • Last season, the Braves lost their first seven games.
  • Dominic Smith hit a game-winning grand slam for the Braves in the 9th inning on Saturday.

The players

Walt Weiss

The manager of the Atlanta Braves.

Dominic Smith

An Atlanta Braves player who hit a game-winning grand slam in the 9th inning on Saturday.

Grant Holmes

The starting pitcher for the Atlanta Braves in the series finale, looking to bounce back after being shut down last July with a partially torn UCL.

Seth Lugo

The starting pitcher for the Kansas City Royals in the series finale, entering his third season with the team.

Salvador Perez

The Kansas City Royals catcher, who hit a solo home run 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

“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, while the Royals will try to find a way to generate more offense and get their first win of the season.

The takeaway

This series has showcased the Braves' ability to rally late and the Royals' struggles to score runs so far this season. The finale will be an important test for both teams as they look to set the tone for the rest of the year.