NL Divisional Series Preview: Phillies vs. Braves

Two NL East foes, the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves, are set to face off in the divisional round of the National League bracket.Philadelphia Phillies (+158) vs. Atlanta Braves (-186)

The Phillies are coming off a two-game sweep over the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card round, while the Braves stole the NL East crown from the New York Mets and received a bye as the second seed. 

Starting Rotation

It will be interesting to see how this series plays out from a pitching perspective. Game 1 will favor Atlanta in a battle of left-handers, with Ranger Suarez of the Phillies taking on Max Fried of the Braves. Both teams boast strong top ends of their rotation, but there are questions about depth when you get past the 1-2 punch of both sides. The Braves had a sizable advantage in their starting pitching ERA over the Phillies. With each side being extremely familiar with one another, it’s hard not to give them the edge in this department. With the Braves having the advantage of starting their top two arms to kick off the series at home, it’s going to be very difficult for the Phillies to match up on the road, so giving Atlanta an edge with their starting rotation makes sense.

Edge: Braves

Batting

There’s no doubt that the Phillies have a formidable offense, but the Braves are on a different level, and they proved that by outscoring them 789-747 this season. Of course, when the playoffs roll around, you can throw out the regular season, but the Braves have one of MLB’s deepest and most potent lineups. On the back of the Braves winning the World Series in 2021, they have a lineup full of potential, led by Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, and Austin Riley. The Phillies have no shortage of big boppers, but the Braves are deeper and have proven what they can do on the game’s biggest stage. 

Edge: Braves 

Bullpen

The Braves make it three-for-three with their bullpen regarding areas they should have an advantage in when this series opens on Tuesday. There’s a fair share of question marks about what Philadelphia has to offer in their bullpen, while the same can’t be said for a Braves team that boasted the fourth-best bullpen ERA in MLB. That will be difficult to match for the Phillies, leading to the Braves having another critical edge.

Edge: Braves

As strong as the Phillies looked in their opening series against the Cardinals, they might not be here if it weren’t for a catastrophic collapse by the Red Birds in Game 1. The Braves are unlikely to make those same mistakes, and there’s much more to like about their roster than the Phillies’. The 14-game gap in the standings between these teams will be evident in this series, leading to a decisive 3-1 series victory from the Braves. 

Series Pick: Braves in 4