The Philadelphia Phillies have shaken themselves out of their losing slump at just the right time. They’re about to embark on a six-game road trip against a pair of playoff-caliber teams, starting with the archrival Atlanta Braves.
The Phillies and Braves shared mid-summer misery, each going on losing streaks in July and August. The former failed to put the division race to bed after previously leading by as many as 10 games and the latter failed to make up ground when the Phils were playing miserably bad baseball. Heading into this series, the 73-51 Phillies lead the 66-58 Braves by seven games.
Atlanta, seen as the preseason favorite to win the National League East — if not be the league’s top seed — is in a dogfight with the New York Mets for second place in the division, leading by just 1.5 games. This season’s Braves are a shell of themselves after dealing with scores of injuries to key players, none bigger than the season-enders for Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider. Although their bullpen is top-notch, the rest of the team is vulnerable.
The Braves are already a battered bunch but the Phillies will face them in an even more vulnerable state. First, star third baseman Austin Riley suffered a right-hand fracture that will sideline him for over a month. That’s a big bat that Philly doesn’t have to worry about. Second, the Phils won’t have to face NL Cy Young-favorite Chris Sale, whose schedule for starts leapfrogs this series entirely. Philly getting the easier parts of Atlanta’s starting pitching will obviously be quite helpful.
First pitches are scheduled for 7:20 P.M. EST on Tuesday and Wednesday and 7:08 P.M. EST on Thursday. The series opener will be broadcast on TBS (in addition to each team’s local networks) and the series closer will be shown on FOX.
Probable starting pitchers
The Phillies will start the series with Zack Wheeler on the mound. Atlanta seems to be leaning toward Reynaldo Lopez, who just returned from the injured list. Wheeler has been cooking as of late and can make some progress in his own Cy Young campaign by recording his fourth consecutive quality start.
In the second game, Aaron Nola will duel Max Fried — an exact rematch from a game in the ATL on July 5. Nola managed a quality start in his previous game in Atlanta and can give Philly an easy chance to win by continuing to level up against an Atlanta lineup held together by duct tape. On the other hand, Max got fried by the Phillies in that July showdown, surrendering five runs in 6.0 innings.
The series will conclude with Spencer Schwellenbach on the mound for Atlanta. The Phillies haven’t yet penciled anyone in, though Cristopher Sanchez is the most likely candidate. Schwellenbach previously shut the Phils down in a 5-1 Atlanta win, allowing only one run and striking out six in 6.0 innings.
Matchup to watch: Marcell Ozuna vs. whoever on the Phillies steps up
The Braves offense is not the dinger-spewing machine it was last season, a product of several stars getting injured or regressing to their means. Among its regular starting position players, the only one who has remained healthy and been better this season than last is the designated hitter. (Travis d’Arnaud has been much better this season, too, but he’s relegated to a 1B role with 1A catcher Sean Murphy back in the lineup.)
Ozuna has been very productive in 2024. He leads the NL in batting average at .309 and RBI at 93, sporting a .974 OPS that ranks fifth in the majors. The Braves have some other strong hitters in Matt Olson and Jorge Soler but on top of missing Acuña and Riley, they will also be without Ozzie Albies. Ozuna isn’t slowing down, as evidenced by his 1.174 OPS over his last 10 games. He’s the main opponent that the Phillies have to watch out for.
The Phillies should see plenty of pop in the lineup. Trea Turner just won the Player of the Week award after snapping his old team over his knee. Nick Castellanos has been great as of late, bringing a 1.040 OPS over his last two weeks with him to Truist Park. Alec Bohm’s on-base streak has reached 35 games. Bryce Harper is coming into the series fully rested after he was controversially not used as a pinch hitter last game.
Beating up on the Nats at home is easy. Even with the Braves facing so many injuries, they’re a real playoff-caliber team that shouldn’t be taken lightly. The Phillies could tell us a lot about themselves by how well (or poorly) they go into enemy territory and compete with their biggest rival.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
