3 Reasons the Phillies Will Upset the Braves in NLDS
By Tyler Maher
Beating the Marlins was fun, but now the real work begins.
If the Phillies want to make it back to the World Series, they'll have to get through the Braves in the NLDS first. Atlanta finished the regular season with the best record in baseball (104-58) and is currently favored to win the championship, so it won't be easy.
The Braves have been sitting around all week, however, whereas we have a ton of momentum after smoking Miami. If anyone can knock off the title favorites, it's us -- especially since we're so familiar with their strengths and weaknesses.
Here are three reasons why Philadelphia will upset Atlanta in the next round.
3 Reasons Phillies Will Upset Braves
1. Our Offense Can Hang With Theirs
You have to give the Braves credit -- their lineup can hit. They tied the MLB record for most home runs in the regular season (307) and set a new mark for slugging percentage (.501), so they have a ton of power over there.
But you know what? So do we.
Our offense wasn't quite as dominant as theirs, but it was still record-setting and finished near the top of the NL in a bunch of important categories like runs (fourth), hits (fourth), homers (third), stolen bases (third) and OPS (third). Our lineup also got stronger as the season progressed, averaging a whopping 5.75 runs per game from Aug. 1 on.
That was on display against the Marlins, when we pounded their pitching staff into submission. Our projected lineup for Game 1 of the NLDS looks incredibly deep, and there isn't an easy out in the batting order. This lineup makes opposing pitchers work and can hurt you at any time if you're not careful.
We have power, speed and patience, plus a good mix of righty and lefty bats. Atlanta has a good pitching staff, but its hurlers can't be excited about facing Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Nick Castellanos and others.
If any of these games turn into slugfests, at least we have the firepower to keep up.