Braves Aim for the Repeat
Philadelphia was the last team into the NL playoffs, but they were dominant in their wild card round sweep of the NL Central winning Cardinals, 6-3 and 2-0. That was probably the best possible first series matchup for the Phillies, but now the task gets a bit tougher in trying to knock out defending champion Atlanta starting in Tuesday’s Phillies Braves game 1 matchup.
Atlanta has been idle since their regular season finale 12-9 loss in Miami. That has the Braves pitching staff lined up and their relievers fresh. Max Fried (14-7, 2.48 ERA) gets the ball in game one, but Atlanta won the World Series last year almost in spite of him instead of because of him. Fried posted a 5.91 ERA in his two NLCS starts and 4.91 in two games vs the Astros in the WS (although he did throw 6 shutout innings in game 6). He had a 3.13 ERA in four starts vs. the Phillies this season.
The Phillies were 8-11 against the division champion Braves in 2022, but they’ve got a tough matchup on Tuesday against a rested Fried. Kyle Schwarber was 0-7 in the wild card round, and he’s just 3-18 against Fried in the lefty-on-lefty matchup. Bryce Harper had a HR in the clincher over St. Louis, and he’s 8-28 with 2 HRs vs. Fried.
The bad thing about Philadelphia playing in the wild card was that they had to burn through their top two starters Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. That leaves Ranger Suarez (10-7, 3.65 ERA) up in the Phillies Braves game 1 matchup in his first career postseason appearance. Suarez was 1-2 with a 3.21 ERA in five starts vs. Atlanta this season.
| Offshore Sportsbook | Moneyline | Total | Run Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetOnline | Phillies(+175)| Braves (-191) | 7.5 | Phillies +1.5(-125) | Braves -1.5 (+105) |
| Bovada | Phillies(+165)| Braves (-200) | 7.5 | Phillies +1.5(-130) | Braves -1.5 (+110) |
| BetUS | Phillies(+170)| Braves (-200) | 7.5 | Phillies +1.5(-125) | Braves -1.5 (+105) |
| SportsBetting.ag | Phillies(+178)| Braves (-194) | 7.5 | Phillies +1.5(-125) | Braves -1.5 (+105) |
| Pinnacle | Phillies(+178)| Braves (-196) | 7.5 | Phillies +1.5(-122) | Braves -1.5 (+111) |
| MyBookie | Phillies(+161)| Braves (-200) | 7.5 | Phillies +1.5(-121) | Braves -1.5 (+100) |
Phillies Braves Game 1 Prediction
Game 1 doesn’t line up great for the Phillies. There’s a chance Atlanta has a bit of rust after being off the last six days, but they’re also rested after a long season and a division race that came down to the last weekend against the Mets. With the southpaw Fried on the mound for Atlanta and a couple of the big bats in the Philadelphia lineup being left-handed hitters you have to go Braves here by the run line.
Braves 6 – Phillies 2
