After a frustrating 7-5 loss to open up the series in Atlanta on Tuesday, the Phillies (7-3) will look to rebound and even up the three-game set at a game apiece against the divisional rival Atlanta Braves (2-8) Wednesday night at Truist Park.
How to Watch/Listen to Phillies vs Braves
TV: MLB Network or NBCSP+
Radio: 94.1 WIP
Time: 7:15 p.m.
Starting Lineups
Phillies:
Kyle Schwarber DH
Trea Turner SS
Bryce Harper 1B
Alec Bohm 3B
Max Kepler LF
Nick Castellanos RF
J.T. Realmuto C
Bryson Stott 2B
Brandon Marsh CF
Braves:
Michael Harris II CF
Ozzie Albies 2B
Marcel Ozuna DH
Matt Olson 1B
Austin Riley 3B
Sean Murphy C
Bryan De La Cruz LF
Jarred Kelenic RF
Orlando Arcia SS
Pitching Matchup
RHP Taijuan Walker (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Grant Holmes (0-1, 7.20 ERA)
Both starters in this one are looking to prove they belong in the starting rotation for their respective clubs for the foreseeable future.
Walker looks to build off his impressive, albeit unexpected, dazzling start against Colorado at Citizens Bank Park last Thursday in a 3-1 win. The righty twirled six scoreless innings allowed three hits, walked one and struck out four keeping the Rockies off-balanced at the plate, relying on his breaking ball.
The 32-year-old makes his tenth start of his career against the Braves owning a 2-2 record with a 5.40 ERA in nine previous starts. He has not faced Atlanta since September 11, 2023, in the first game of a doubleheader that the Phillies lost 10-8. Walker tossed 5.1 innings and touched up for six runs, five earned on six hits. He walked three and struck out five.
Meanwhile, Grant has been a swing guy for the Braves since joining the staff last season but finds himself in the starting rotation as the team awaits the return of their ace Spencer Strider. It will be the third total appearance on the season for the righty who made a scoreless relief appearance against the Padres back on March 27 tossing an inning and striking out two. However, his first start of the season was not a good one. Facing the Dodgers, he was tagged for four earned runs on four hits, walked four and struck out three in four innings of work and suffered the loss.
Last season, Holmes flashed his potential posting a respectable 3.56 ERA in 26 appearances with seven being starts to go along with an impressive strikeout to walk ratio at 70 to 15.
Holmes is 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA in three appearances against the Phillies, all coming out of the bullpen.
Things to Watch
Kyle Schwarber has been fantastic to start the season. He blasted his fifth homer of the season off Chris Sale tying him for the National League lead in homers to give the Phillies a 5-3 advantage in the fifth inning. He is on pace to blow past his total home runs he hit in March and April last year when he bashed eight homers in 31 total games to open the season.
Walker will be a storyline once again as he looks to put the disastrous season he had a year ago in the rear-view mirror. If he can replicate what he did in his season debut, mixing all of his pitches to keep this Braves’ lineup out of sync, he could give the Phillies a solid chance to even up this series.
The Phillies’ bullpen has been equivalent to a rollercoaster down at the shore, bumpy, shaky, chaotic, but more times than not so far in the early going, it has been able to get to through the wild ride to protect and hold on to leads. Jordan Romano’s struggles are a concern, but the other high leverage arms in Orion Kerkering, Matt Strahm and Jose Alvarado have given fans agita at one point through nine games, including Tuesday night’s loss.
Despite having just two wins on the season, the Braves still have a talented lineup while they await Ronald Acuna Jr. to return from injury. Harris II is 4-for-5 against Walker in his career with two home runs so the Phillies’ pitcher will need to be extra cautious against the centerfielder. A few other Braves have had success against Walker in their careers.
Austin Riley has hit well against Walker hitting .417 (5-for-12) with a home run while posting an on-base percentage of .500. Matt Olson and Orlando Arcia each are 3-for-7 against Walker (.429 AVG) in a small sample size against the Phillies’ starter.
The Braves have yet to win back-to-back games this season. The Phillies certainly don’t want to allow their NL East rivals do so against them. A win tonight will prohibit that and position the Phillies to win the series on Thursday night before they head to St. Louis for a weekend series against the Cardinals starting on Friday.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
