The Braves landed in San Diego around midnight on Tuesday. It was 3 a.m. on the East Coast, where they left a muted celebration at Truist Park’s home clubhouse, flew across the country after winning the second half of a doubleheader to extend their season and tried to make it through a wild day to rinse.

By then, the only thing on Matt Olson’s mind was exhaustion.

By the time they arrived at Petco Park for Game 1 of the NL wild-card Series, Olson and his teammates had an us-versus-them mentality.

“I think when people think you can’t do something, that’s what drives you,” the Braves first baseman said. “We don’t listen. We’re not going to seek out the chatter. Sometimes you hear something. That can absolutely drive you.”

The Braves have no choice. (Except maybe playing the hurricane-affected games at a neutral site earlier than Monday, right?)

In the postseason for the seventh straight year, the Braves had already beaten the odds to get here after losing reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr., slugger Austin Riley and Cy Young candidate Spencer Strider for the year and long stretches of the season without having played four games. -time All-Star Ozzie Albies.

Then it was announced between Monday’s games that Chris Sale has been suffering from back spasms since his last start on September 19.

Not only was this year’s presumptive NL Cy Young winner unable to make the start in Game 162, Sale was left behind in Atlanta to continue treatment while the Braves’ brass huddled on the plane to San Diego to discuss who they could possibly send to the mound to start. Game 1 against the Padres.

They chose 21-year-old AJ Smith-Shawver. He heard it around 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

Bryce Elder was also expected to help in the bullpen as the Braves used nine pitchers on Monday, including their top leverage arms twice (Raisel Iglesias and Joe Jimenez).

“We’re definitely the underdogs,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.