Braves-Phillies Series Preview

Today, the Atlanta Braves are getting ready for a series that provides major playoff implications, when they take on the Philadelphia Phillies. Entering today, Atlanta is currently (82-57) and maintains a (8.5) game lead in the National League wild card over the St.Louis Cardinals; however, they trail Philadelphia, who maintains the lead in the National League East and holds the best record in the MLB of (88-48) by (7.5) games and this series could help their chances or hurt their opportunity to clinch the NL Eastern Division Title and Home-Field Advantage throughout the MLB Playoffs and the World Series. The Braves are coming off a shocking series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers and are in a must-win situation against the Phillies to have a solid chance at rallying from behind to win the division. In this post, I will break down each game of the Braves-Phillies Series and also give my keys to win the series or pull off a rare sweep at Citizens Bank Park.

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP AT 7:05--- Derek Lowe vs Cliff Lee

Derek Lowe

The Braves will start the series by sending Derek Lowe to the mound who is having an up and down season  for the Atlanta lineup. Lowe currently stands at (9-12) with a (4.52) ERA but the previous time he pitched against the Phillies, their lineup gave Lowe a tough day as the Braves lost 14-1 on July 10th. However, as many Braves fans remember during the 2010 Wildcard stretch, Lowe was 5-0 in the month of September and throughout his career, this is his best month of baseball and Atlanta fans will definitely look for him to make the same impact on the 2011 Braves team. On the opposing side is Cliff Lee, who is currently (15-7) with a (2.29) ERA heading into this game; however, Lee has lost or earned a no-decision in each of his match-ups against the Braves in 2011 with a record of (0-2) and a (4.78) earned run average. The Braves offense gave him fits throughout their match-ups against him and they could play a huge factor in tonight's game.


GAME TWO'S MATCHUP AT 7:05--- Tim Hudson vs Vance Worley

Tim Hudson

This matchup will be a very intriguing one for these two teams as two of their best pitchers will face off in a tough duel. Tim Hudson, currently holds a (14-8) record with a (3.05) earned run average for the Braves this season. Hudson's record against the Phillies this season is (1-1) with a (2.43) ERA and throughout most of his match-ups this season against Philadelphia, his pitching was very effective; however, the Braves offense did not give him enough support to record more wins against this team and Atlanta's offense needs to produce at least three to five runs in order to give Tim Hudson the opportunity to win this game against Philadelphia tomorrow night. The opposing pitcher, Vance Worley, is one of the surprising stories for the season as his record stands at an outstanding (10-1) record and posted an ERA of (2.85) heading into the matchup with Atlanta. Against the Braves, he has a no decision and a ERA of (1.13) and this will be his second time facing the Atlanta offense. In order to beat Vance Worley, the Braves offense will need to show excellent plate discipline and get their offense going early. In his no-decisions, Worley surrendered at least (3) runs or gave up at least (3) walks to the opposing batters so Atlanta must think smart against the Phillies.

GAME THREE'S MATCHUP AT 7:05 --- Brandon Beachy vs Roy Oswalt

Brandon Beachy 

In the final matchup, the Braves will send Brandon Beachy to the mound who currently holds a (7-2) record and maintains a (3.27) ERA; however, Beachy struggled all season long against the Phillies and will look to earn a first victory against the team. This season, Beachy holds a (0-1) record, two no decisions, and a (3.47) earned run average and the Phillies offense have posted huge offensive stats against him during their match-ups this season. In order to earn a victory against the Phillies, Atlanta's offense must have an effective impact on the game and Beachy must choose smart pitches against this deadly Philadelphia offense and maintain any lead that Atlanta gives him during the game and in the hostile environment of Citizens Bank Park. The opposing pitcher, Roy Oswalt,is having an up and down season for the pitching staff with a (7-8) record and a earned run average of (3.80). Against the Braves, Oswalt won his only matchup posting a (2.25) ERA and this will be his second chance to get a critical win against the Braves lineup which has improved since his early matchup against the Braves back in April. In order to beat Oswalt, the Atlanta lineup must strike early and remain consistent to limit his chances of settling down and making a dominant effort for the Phillies.

THREE KEYS TO BEAT THE PHILLIES


1.Get runs early against the Phillies starters

Brian Mccann

Atlanta's offense have improved since the previous matchup against the Phillies with the acquisition of Michael Bourn and the return of Martin Prado and Chipper Jones to the team. The Atlanta lineup must produce early against the starting pitchers in order to affect their dominance as a staff. In this series, two of the three pitchers that Philadelphia will send to the mound against the Braves either have endured struggles to remain a consistent pitcher for the team all season or have not earned a single win against Atlanta and the Braves lineup is good enough and have the ability to cause Roy Oswalt or Cliff Lee to surrender early runs. Earning early runs on the scoreboard will give the Braves confidence as a team to consistently help their own pitching staff by giving them the offensive production that is necessary to win on the road against this team.

2. The Braves Bullpen can shut down the Phillies with a lead late in each game

Jonny Venters

One of the reasons why Atlanta's pitching staff is so dominant is from their bullpen, in particular, the two best pitchers, rookie closer Craig Kimbrel and reliever Jonny Venters. If Atlanta holds a lead heading into the bottom of the 9th inning in Philadelphia, the Phillies must pull off a miracle against Craig Kimbrel, who has emerged as one of the best closers in the MLB today, have not surrendered a run to the opposing offense since June 11th against the Houston Astros. As the season progressed and the Braves were approaching the playoff race, Kimbrel's dominance increased and many opposing lineups have not been able to cool off the young kid. In Philadelphia, the Phillies are known to comeback on teams in the late innings to steal a victory; however, the Braves will make these opportunities tough for the Philadelphia lineup. Jonny Venters is another key component to the Atlanta bullpen and is also dominant against any opposing lineups. Since the month of July, Venters have only given up (3) total runs and posted an ERA of (1.46) over that span. Venters is becoming one of the toughest relievers to face around the league and his production will be a huge factor in helping the Braves win the series against the Phillies this week.

3. WINNING THE SERIES WILL HELP ATLANTA'S CHANCES AT THE NL EAST

Braves last division title

Last season, the Phillies rallied from behind in August and took two key series against the Braves to steal the NL East and this year Atlanta has the opportunity to repeat the same fate for the Phillies. If Atlanta can take two of the three matchups or possibly sweep the Phillies, the deficit will be trimmed to (4.5) or (5.5) games and gives the Braves a chance to steal the division championship in their final series back at the Ted against Philadelphia. After the 3-game series at Citizens Bank Park, the Braves will have 5 games against the Mets, 6 against the Marlins, 3 against the Nationals, and a critical series against the Cardinals. Their schedule do not present many challenges; however, if Atlanta wants to clinch their division title since 2005, they can't allow any of these teams to play "spoiler" and hurt their chances of winning the division, which would cause them to settle for a wildcard spot. As for the Phillies, their schedule includes 3 critical road games against the Brewers, 4 against the Cardinals, 4 against the Nationals, and 3 against the Mets. Their schedule could allow Atlanta to trim the deficit as they will have a tough challenge against the Brewers, who is the best team in the MLB at home this season with a (50-19) record and also will play a tough series with the Cardinals at home, who is still chasing the Braves for a wildcard berth. This series could set the stage for the NL Playoff Race or could intensify the National League East race between Atlanta and Philadelphia. Until next time, GO BRAVES!!!!