Philadelphia Phillies Weekend Preview: Atlanta Braves
By Mike Lacy
The Philadelphia Phillies series against the Atlanta Braves is previewed.
Every weekend, I look ahead to the Philadelphia Phillies’ next series and preview their opponent. I try to be as optimistic as possible about the Phils’ chances. No matter how dreadfully they have played, I attempt to find a reason to hope that the Philadelphia Phillies will emerge victoriously.
Quick Phillies Update
The Philadelphia Phillies have won their last four series. Lately, they’ve gotten contributions from unlikely heroes such as Tyler Goeddel and Tommy Joseph, both of whom hit their first career home runs this week.
They’ll now get another chance to pad their win total against the last place Braves.
Related Story: Who is Tommy Joseph?
Atlanta Braves
Record: 10-30 (5th in National League East)
Manager: Brian Snitker
What’s the deal with the Braves
The Braves continue to struggle, having gone 2-5 since their series against the Philadephia Phillies. Their poor performance caused prompted the team to fire manager Fredi Gonzalez, although most people consider him lucky to escape such an ugly situation.
The Braves’ offense remains putrid, ranking last in the National League in runs scored. The pitching hasn’t been much better, as they are 12th in team ERA. Some teams – like the Phillies – can overcome a poor offense thanks to a strong bullpen. But Braves relievers have contributed to the mess with a 4.72 ERA.
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The last time they met
When they played in Atlanta earlier this month, the Philadelphia Phillies won two out of three. In the series opener, Adam Morgan dominated the Braves hitters, and Cameron Rupp led the Phillies to victory in the finale thanks to a bases-clearing double in the tenth inning.
Braves player who isn’t entirely horrible
It’s not much of a stretch to call Freddie Freeman the best hitter on the Braves. His six home runs represent almost half of the team’s total, and his five intentional walks are evidence that he is easily the most feared bat in their lineup.
Braves player who is horrible
Erick Aybar had a successful ten-year stint with the Angels. He was never much of an offensive threat, but he could always be counted on for good defense. Moving to the National League hasn’t agreed with him. His defense has declined while he has been an absolute non-factor on offense. He’s batting .174 with an embarrassing OPS of .412.
If that wasn’t bad enough, he had to miss time this week due to having a chicken bone lodged in his throat.
Starting pitching preview
Taking a look at the expected starting pitching matchups for the series.
Friday’s game will feature two impressive, young pitchers. Wisler has an ERA of 3.14 and limited the Philadelphia Phillies to three runs in eight innings when he faced them. Nola is emerging as one of the best pitchers in the National League. He is 3-0 with a 1.32 ERA over the past month.
Williams Perez vs. Adam Morgan
Both of these pitchers performed well the last time they faced each other but followed that up with a weak outing.
Perez limited the Philadelphia Phillies to one run in eight innings. It was by far his best start of the season, but he then gave up six runs in six innings against the Pirates.
Similarly, Morgan pitched exceptionally well against the Braves, but he got knocked out early when facing the Reds.
TBD vs. Jerad Eickhoff
As of publishing time, the Braves had not yet announced a starter for Sunday’s game.
Eickhoff has been inconsistent. His curveball has generally been effective, but he seems to be getting in trouble when forced to rely too much on his secondary pitches. He had a decent showing his last time out, giving up three runs in six innings against the Marlins.
Reason for optimism
The Braves offense is awful, and their pitching isn’t much better. Meanwhile, the Phillies keep finding ways to win.
Reason for pessimism
The Phillies hitters aren’t much better and didn’t exactly clobber the Braves’ pitching earlier this month. It’s not like the Phillies have the capability to open up big leads.
Next: The Legacy of Carlos Ruiz
Prediction
The Phillies may regress at some point, but it probably won’t be this weekend. Nola should be able to shut down the Braves, and I think Eickhoff redeems himself on Sunday. The Phillies will take two out of three.