Phillies at Braves series preview: 8/21- 8/23

Another series, another preview. The Phillies head south to take on their divisional rival Braves in a three-game series beginning Friday night.

Atlanta at 14-11 sit atop the National League East Division. Fresh off getting swept in a double header at the Blue Jays on Thursday, the Phillies and their 9-12 record reside at the bottom of the division.

A brief rundown of the pitching match ups and other key notes from this series are ahead.

Friday, 7:10pm. Aaron Nola (2-1, 2.05 ERA) vs. Max Fried (3-0, 1.24 ERA). In 19 career starts against Atlanta, Nola has an 11-5 record with a 2.82 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. Ronald Acuna Jr. is 7-for-22 (.318 avg) with two home runs and four RBI in his career when facing Nola. In 2019 Nola had a 4.75 ERA in six starts against the Braves. Fried allowed two earned runs in his first start this season and in four starts since then he has allowed just two total runs, both earned. The lefty Fried has a 2-2 record with a 4.55 ERA in 10 career appearances (four starts) against the Phillies. JT Realmuto is 5-for-15 with a triple, two homers and five RBI against Fried.

Saturday, 7:10pm. Zack Wheeler (3-0, 2.81 ERA) vs. Robbie Erlin (0-0, 5.14 ERA). In 14 career starts against Atlanta, Wheeler sports a 6-5 record, a 4.04 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. Freddie Freeman is 14-for-29 (.483 avg) with three doubles, two homers and seven RBI in his career against Wheeler. Erlin previously pitched for the Pirates this season, but was claimed off waivers by the Braves. The left-handed Erlin has a 3.00 ERA in six appearances against the Phils. Bryce Harper is 6-for-8 (.750 avg) with a double, a triple and six RBI in his career against Erlin.

Sunday, 7:08pm. Zach Eflin (0-1, 5.14 ERA) vs. Josh Tomlin (1-0, 2.35 ERA). Acuna is 4-for-9 (.444 avg) with a homer in his career against Eflin. In seven starts against Atlanta, Eflin has tallied a 3-3 record with a 3.66 ERA. In nine career appearances, all in relief, against the Phillies, the righty Tomlin has a 4.00 ERA. Didi Gregorius is 0-for-8 against Tomlin in his career.

Rhys Hoskins, image- Jay Floyd

Rhys Hoskins is a .231 hitter with six homers and 22 RBI in 48 career games against the Braves. Hoskins is batting .190 in 12 night games this season.

In 82 games against the Braves, JT Realmuto has a .279 average with 15 home runs and 48 RBI. Realmuto is batting .231 in three road games this year.

1n 135 games against the Braves in his career, Harper has a .278 average with 33 home runs and 82 RBI.

Catcher Travis d'Arnaud, a former Phillies prospect, is a .269 hitter with nine homers in 66 career games against the team that drafted him. d'Arnaud was traded to Toronto in the deal that brought back Roy Halladay.

Shortstop Dansby Swanson sports a .253 batting average with six homers and 20 RBI in 53 games against the Phillies.

The Phillies team OPS of .800 ranks second best in the majors. The Braves' .762 mark ranks 12th in MLB.

The Phillies' 8.07 bullpen ERA is the worst in all of MLB. Atlanta's 3.51 bullpen ERA is 7th best in the big leagues.

Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

TRENTON, NJ- Brad Lidge made his second rehab appearance for the Double A Reading Phillies on Thursday night and it didn't go as well as the veteran reliever or the team had hoped. Lidge struggled with his command and turned in a rather poor outing for the club that entered the night in a playoff race, 1 game behind division rival Trenton for the Wild Card spot in the Eastern Division. On the disabled list since spring training with a strained right rotator cuff, Lidge experienced an elbow strain when he was working back from that issue in late May. In his outing against the Yankees affiliate in Trenton, Lidge displayed difficulty with his control as he threw three wild pitches, hit two batters, walked another and gave up a single, all while letting up two earned runs on 28 pitches in 2/3 of an inning. After the disappointing performance, Lidge was composed and focused on some positive aspects, having reached 89 and 90 MPH on scouts' radar guns, according to some reports. ...

Jason Knapp Q&A

PhoulBallz .com was fortunate enough to meet with Phillies prospect Jason Knapp just one day after he caught the attention of the baseball world with his 7 shut out innings, 14 strike out performance against the Indians' Lake County team. - I asked Jason, the Lakewood BlueClaw , for some thoughts about his big game... I had pretty good command of three pitches (fastball, curve, change up). I was on the same page with my catcher, D'Arnaud , and I ended up, ya know, I felt pretty good. - In a great performance like that, how much credit goes to Travis D'Arnaud , the catcher? More than you might expect, definitely. I didn't shake him off once. He told me what to throw and I do what I'm told. And if it works out, a lot of the credit goes to the catcher. - Does the lack of run support (Lakewood has scored 3 total runs in his 3 starts), in your few starts, increase your stress level, or enhance your focus? No, I just try to go out and do my job every outing. Ya know, we...

Eric B Needs to be Cut (and My Name is Rakim)

While the Phillies are on a hot streak this month, one player on the team is not. Eric Bruntlett is 1-for-12 in July. Since the start of May, Bruntlett's apex in batting average has been .167 on June 14th. Bruntlett's ineptitude can be tolerated no longer. Get rid of this guy NOW! Eric B. is the 2009 Endy Chavez. Remember Endy...the guy who in 2005 managed just 2 hits in his final 42 games played as a Phillie? That is about the sort of output the Phillies are getting from Bruntlett, and it's time to fix this void. Julio Lugo was designated for assignment last week by the Red Sox and is expected to become a free agent. The Metropolitans are rumored to be interested. Why wouldn't the Phillies be interested in a guy who could surely outhit Bruntlett? Lugo was hitting .284 through 37 games played this season with Boston. Suspended Lehigh Valley IronPig Pablo Ozuna is eligible to return next Wednesday. Ozuna is batting .294 through 51 games at triple A. Miguel Cairo is also...

PhoulBallz.com

Search This Blog