HOUSTON (Interstat) — Tyler Mahle allowed one earned run over six innings, and the Atlanta Braves clinched a postseason berth with a 6-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Friday night at Daikin Park.

Mahle improved to 7-10 on the season after limiting Houston to three hits and one walk while striking out six. He retired the side in order in the second and third innings and worked around his only major jam in the fourth. The start continued a strong recent stretch for Mahle, who had beaten the Philadelphia Phillies on Sept. 12 with seven innings of one-run ball. His path to this point included being part of a third-place Cincinnati team that was swept by Atlanta in the opening round of the expanded playoff format during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He later hoped to pitch in the 2023 playoffs for Minnesota, but that chance disappeared when he underwent Tommy John surgery in May of that season. Now with Atlanta, Mahle is positioned for what would be his first playoff start.

Atlanta improved to 92-65 and secured its place in the postseason. Houston dropped to 78-77. The Braves finished with 11 hits, while the Astros had five. Peter Lambert took the loss for Houston after yielding two earned runs on six hits and one walk over 5.1 innings, striking out six. Enyel De Los Santos followed with two innings of relief, allowing two earned runs on two hits and striking out three. Bennett Sousa recorded two outs and allowed two hits without an earned run.

The Braves opened the scoring in the fourth. Matt Olson singled sharply to center field before Michael Harris II drove a fly ball to left-center field for a two-run homer. The blast gave Atlanta a lead it never lost. Harris finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Olson also went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, and Ronald Acuña Jr. finished 1-for-5 with two RBIs. Drake Baldwin added a double and scored a run, while Ozzie Albies walked and Mauricio Dubón doubled as part of Atlanta’s 11-hit attack.

Houston answered in the bottom of the fourth. Yordan Alvarez doubled to left field and scored on Isaac Paredes’ single to center. Paredes finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Jose Altuve followed with a single, putting runners on first and second, but Mahle escaped further trouble. Daulton Varsho grounded into a forceout that erased Altuve, and Christian Walker flied out before Taylor Trammell grounded out to end the inning.

Atlanta stretched its lead in the seventh. Baldwin walked, and Acuña followed with a line-drive, two-run homer to left field. The swing made it 4-1 and gave Atlanta breathing room. Houston got one run back in the eighth when LaMonte Wade Jr. singled, moved to second on Alvarez’s walk and scored on Paredes’ line-drive single to left. Didier Fuentes pitched two innings for Atlanta, allowing one earned run on two hits and one walk while striking out three.

Atlanta capped the scoring in the ninth. Baldwin doubled sharply to center field, and Olson launched a two-run homer to left-center field. The homer gave Olson his 40th of the season and pushed Atlanta’s lead to four runs. Raisel Iglesias then closed the game with a perfect ninth, striking out Varsho, Walker and Trammell in order. Iglesias finished with one inning, no hits, no earned runs and three strikeouts.

The game took 2 hours, 42 minutes and drew 36,921 fans to Daikin Park. Atlanta pitchers combined for 23 strikes, 45 balls and 23 balls in play. Houston pitchers combined for 20 strikes, 49 balls and 20 balls in play.

The victory continued Atlanta’s push through the final weeks of the regular season. The Braves had split their previous six games, including a series loss at the Chicago Cubs earlier in the week. Atlanta entered the series against Houston after a 4-8 defeat Wednesday, a 6-3 win Tuesday and a 3-7 loss Monday. Before that, Atlanta had taken two of three from Philadelphia, including a 12-2 win on Sept. 12 and a 6-5 victory on Sept. 11. The Braves also had won three of four against Tampa Bay from Sept. 8-10 before dropping two of three at Philadelphia from Sept. 4-6.

Houston entered the game after a 6-2 win over Kansas City on Thursday. The Astros had won two of three in that series but had struggled earlier in September, including a 14-4 loss at Tampa Bay on Sept. 13. Houston had also lost two of three at Philadelphia before winning the series finale against the Phillies on Sept. 10. The Astros had won two of three against Arizona from Sept. 4-6 and had swept a three-game set against the Chicago White Sox from Sept. 1-3.

Atlanta’s schedule remains busy, with another game at Houston on Saturday and Sunday before returning home to face Cincinnati for three games. The Braves will then travel to Miami for three games against the Marlins from Sept. 25-27. Houston will host Atlanta again Saturday and Sunday before traveling to Seattle for two games and then for four games.

The Braves’ bullpen preserved the lead after Mahle departed. Fuentes handled the seventh and part of the eighth, allowing one run, and Iglesias finished the ninth with three strikeouts. Atlanta’s offense produced enough support with three two-run homers. Harris connected in the fourth, Acuña in the seventh and Olson in the ninth. Olson’s blast capped the scoring and helped Atlanta clinch its postseason spot.

Houston’s best chance came in the fourth, when Alvarez doubled and Paredes singled him home. The Astros put two runners on in that inning, but Mahle limited the damage. Houston also threatened in the eighth when Wade singled and Alvarez walked, and Paredes delivered a run-scoring single. But Altuve flied out to right field to end the inning, and Houston could not close the gap further.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Atlanta Braves 4, Houston Astros 3. Interstat’s ELO system gave Atlanta a 52.3 percent probability to win. Atlanta had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 8 went over the over/under line of 8.5.