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The Philadelphia Phillies clash against the defending World Series champions the Atlanta Braves for the series-closer of their four-game series at Truist Park. At the time of writing, the Phillies had the upper hand as they won the opening match of the series, 7-3.
The Phillies will start Aaron Nola in this game opposite the Braves' Kyle Wright. Philadelphia currently sports a 20-22 record that is good for second place in the National League East. While Atlanta, on the other hand, has a 19-23 and are just behind the Phillies in the standings.
Match Details
Fixture: Philadelphia Phillies vs Atlanta Braves.
Date & Time: Thursday, May 26, 7:20 PM EDT.
Venue: Truist Park, Atlanta, Georgia.
Philadelphia Phillies Review
In the opening game of their series, the Philadelphia Phillies wasted no time in asserting their dominance after opening a seven-run lead in the first four innings of the match. The Braves never recovered and fell prey to the Phillies' high octane offense.
The Phillies improved their record ever so slightly against the Braves in a division in which the league leaders, the New York Mets, have set themselves apart. If the Phillies can replicate their performance from yesterday's matchup, it should be smooth sailing for them against the sputtering Atlanta Braves.
Key Player - Bryce Harper
Reigning National League MVP Bryce Harper has shown a good impression in repeating his MVP campaign from last season. Despite recent struggles as of late, Harper has been batting .292/.344/.590 with an OPS of .934.
"There is no better argument for why Bryce Harper is the MVP than watching the Phillies offense without him." - @ James Seltzer
He has homered nine times, stolen six bases, and has 27 RBIs to his name. Add to that the 14 doubles and a triple on 42 base hits he has produced, he's certainly one of the biggest bats in the Phillies' stacked battery crew.
Philadelphia Phillies Projected Lineup
Starting Pitcher: Aaron Nola.
- Rhys Hoskins, 1B
- Alec Bohm, 3B
- Bryce Harper, DH
- Nick Castellanos, RF
- Jean Segura, 2B
- J.T. Realmuto, C
- Kyle Schwarber, LF
- Roman Quinn, CF
- Johan Camargo, SS
Atlanta Braves Preview
The Atlanta Braves need to pick themselves up sooner rather than later. They now have a 19-23 record. They've lost two more games and have looked measly on both sides of the ball. They are on the bottom half of the league in both pitching and batting and have a UZR of -14.1.
If the Braves can't contain the Phillies' hot sticks, they might be in danger of getting swept and could jeopardize their position in the division this early in the season.
Key Player - Matt Olson
The Braves' offense is not clicking, and Matt Olson needs help. Olson's teammates need to pick up the slack as he's only one of the few bright spots in the order and in the team, in general. He has four homers, tied for the league-best with 16 doubles and 15 RBIs so far on 38 base hits.
"Would of been real nice for Matt Olson to get a hit there" - @ SportsTalkATL.com
Olson has struggled as of late, but he's statistically still one of the best bats in the Braves' lineup. If he can capitalize against a below-average Philadelphia Phillies' rotation and break his slump, things might get interesting in this game.
Atlanta Braves Projected Lineup
Starting Pitcher: Charlie Morton.
- Ronald Acuña Jr., RF
- Matt Olson, 1B
- Austin Riley, 3B
- Marcell Ozuna, DH
- Ozzie Albies, 2B
- Travis d'Arnaud, C
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Adam Duvall, CF
- Travis Demeritte, LF
Philadelphia Phillies vs Atlanta Braves Prediction
The Phillies dominated the opening match of the series against the Braves by driving in runs. The Braves actually out-hit their foes but have failed to score runs home. We're giving the edge in this series-closer to the Phillies as they've continued to perform and stick true to their goal of going all in on offense.
The Braves' batting and pitching has been unreliable and inconsistent so far and has looked unconvincing as of late. Phillies to win 4-2.
Where to follow Phillies vs Braves?
Watch: NBCSP (Phillies), Bally Sports Southeast (Braves).
Listen: 94 WIP, WTTM 1680 (Phillies), 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM (Braves).
For more news and information, visit the Sportskeeda Baseball page.
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