<img alt="Cincinnati Reds v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LGdgu7Mw7XrNKkAUc1oYL7fJVqY=/0x0:6871x4581/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73533128/2162470961.0.jpg">
Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images
The big man is back and he couldn't have come back at a better time. Following what turned out to be a productive (if, once again, costly) road trip out West, the Atlanta Braves are now back home and will be put to the test as the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies are coming to town to start a three-game series.
Obviously, the bad news for Atlanta is that Austin Riley is going to be spending considerable time on the shelf after suffering a fractured right hand during Sunday's win over the Angels. The Braves are doing their best to cover for the situation as they've signed Gio Urshela and have already placed him on the roster for tonight's contest.
However, the Braves are getting a little bit of good news on the injury front today and that's the fact that Reynaldo López is scheduled to make his first start July 28. In that appearance, López fought his way through three shutout innings before leaving the game due to a forearm ailment. He's back now and hopefully he'll be able to pick up where he left off in terms of performance. While his two starts before the one on July 28 were a bit so-so when it comes to results, López is still on track for a career year in terms of fWAR (he's already tied his career high of 2.4 fWAR) and the Braves are surely going to be thrilled to have him back in the rotation.
That's especially considering that the Phillies are coming to town as well. López had a very successful start against Philadelphia earlier this season, where he threw six shutout innings and only gave up two hits and three walks compared to six strikeouts back on July 7. A start like that tonight would do the trick and would likely put the Braves in position to have a shot at winning this one.
With that being said, it really wouldn't be shocking if we saw another pitcher's duel break out tonight since the Phillies are starting our old foe Zack Wheeler in this one. Wheeler really needs no introduction around here, since the Braves have been facing him regularly for a solid 11 years now — dating back to his days with the New York Mets. He's been a thorn in Atlanta's side since moving to Philadelphia in particular and this season was no exception as he pitched six shutout innings against the Braves all the way back on Opening Day. Remember Opening Day? Remember when nobody was injured? Remember when the Braves were fully healthy? Pepperidge Farms remembers and boy, am I pining for those days to return. It's not going to happen this season but a guy can dream, right?
Anyways, Wheeler has been having another good season on the mound and he's been a tough customer to deal with in his past three starts in particular. He went six innings and only gave up one run in his most recent outing against the Nationals, which came after he gave up two runs over six innings against the Diamondbacks and that followed a sterling performance against the Mariners where he pitched eight shutout innings. The Phillies went 2-1 over those three starts (because the Diamondbacks have been on fire lately) and honestly it would be a pleasant shock if the Braves were able to give him some serious trouble at the plate tonight.
With that being said, the Phillies had not been doing so hot since the All-Star break — at least not until very recently. Before this past weekend, Philadelphia had a record of 8-16 after the break and were playing like one of the worst teams in baseball since the break. However, the Phillies were able to get a bit of their mojo back thanks to taking advantage of a four-game home series with the Nationals that saw them win the series and move to 11-17 since the break.
As a matter of fact, would you believe that the Braves have been doing slightly better at the plate since the break than the Phillies have been? Indeed, Atlanta's been hitting .241/.315/.444 as a unit since the break, with a team wOBA of .328 and a wRC+ of 109, to boot. Comparatively, the Phillies have hit .255/.317/.419 with a .319 wOBA and a wRC+ of 104. It's not even a matter of "luck" either, since Philadelphia's BABIP in that span of .298 is ahead of the Braves by 16 points. You could also argue that the Braves had a trip to Coors Field during that span but also they were racking up hits regardless of the venue during this most recent road trip. Both teams have still been solidly the mid-tier pack during this time span but it's clear that the Phillies aren't exactly firing on all cylinders while Atlanta may finally be finding their footing at the plate this season.
However, both teams have been having a tough time with their pitching and that probably explains why the Phillies have still had a comfortable lead at the top of the NL East despite sputtering a bit since the break. The Braves have had a collective ERA- and FIP- of 113 and 91, respectively and the Phillies have had an ERA- of 114 and a FIP- of 110 since the break. Additionally, you could argue here that the Braves may have had a bit of tough luck since their xFIP- is at 77 during that span. Philadelphia's collective xFIP- at 112, which implies that it's just been a struggle for them so far since the break.
So while the Phillies are going always going to be tough for the Braves to deal with no matter what form they're in and the Braves will be going into this game after losing Austin Riley to injury, this is still a game where the Braves can expect to compete and stay in a position to win. Aside from that nightmarish week with the Brewers and Rockies, the Braves have looked up for a baseball fight in the games that they've played recently and I'd be shocked if that didn't continue as they head into a big series opener with Philadelphia tonight. This should be a good one!
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, August 20, 7:20 P.M. ET
Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA
TV: Bally Sports South, TBS (out-of-market only)
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan
<img alt="Cincinnati Reds v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LGdgu7Mw7XrNKkAUc1oYL7fJVqY=/0x0:6871x4581/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73533128/2162470961.0.jpg">
Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images
The big man is back and he couldn't have come back at a better time. Following what turned out to be a productive (if, once again, costly) road trip out West, the Atlanta Braves are now back home and will be put to the test as the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies are coming to town to start a three-game series.
Obviously, the bad news for Atlanta is that Austin Riley is going to be spending considerable time on the shelf after suffering a fractured right hand during Sunday's win over the Angels. The Braves are doing their best to cover for the situation as they've signed Gio Urshela and have already placed him on the roster for tonight's contest.
However, the Braves are getting a little bit of good news on the injury front today and that's the fact that Reynaldo López is scheduled to make his first start July 28. In that appearance, López fought his way through three shutout innings before leaving the game due to a forearm ailment. He's back now and hopefully he'll be able to pick up where he left off in terms of performance. While his two starts before the one on July 28 were a bit so-so when it comes to results, López is still on track for a career year in terms of fWAR (he's already tied his career high of 2.4 fWAR) and the Braves are surely going to be thrilled to have him back in the rotation.
That's especially considering that the Phillies are coming to town as well. López had a very successful start against Philadelphia earlier this season, where he threw six shutout innings and only gave up two hits and three walks compared to six strikeouts back on July 7. A start like that tonight would do the trick and would likely put the Braves in position to have a shot at winning this one.
With that being said, it really wouldn't be shocking if we saw another pitcher's duel break out tonight since the Phillies are starting our old foe Zack Wheeler in this one. Wheeler really needs no introduction around here, since the Braves have been facing him regularly for a solid 11 years now — dating back to his days with the New York Mets. He's been a thorn in Atlanta's side since moving to Philadelphia in particular and this season was no exception as he pitched six shutout innings against the Braves all the way back on Opening Day. Remember Opening Day? Remember when nobody was injured? Remember when the Braves were fully healthy? Pepperidge Farms remembers and boy, am I pining for those days to return. It's not going to happen this season but a guy can dream, right?
Anyways, Wheeler has been having another good season on the mound and he's been a tough customer to deal with in his past three starts in particular. He went six innings and only gave up one run in his most recent outing against the Nationals, which came after he gave up two runs over six innings against the Diamondbacks and that followed a sterling performance against the Mariners where he pitched eight shutout innings. The Phillies went 2-1 over those three starts (because the Diamondbacks have been on fire lately) and honestly it would be a pleasant shock if the Braves were able to give him some serious trouble at the plate tonight.
With that being said, the Phillies had not been doing so hot since the All-Star break — at least not until very recently. Before this past weekend, Philadelphia had a record of 8-16 after the break and were playing like one of the worst teams in baseball since the break. However, the Phillies were able to get a bit of their mojo back thanks to taking advantage of a four-game home series with the Nationals that saw them win the series and move to 11-17 since the break.
As a matter of fact, would you believe that the Braves have been doing slightly better at the plate since the break than the Phillies have been? Indeed, Atlanta's been hitting .241/.315/.444 as a unit since the break, with a team wOBA of .328 and a wRC+ of 109, to boot. Comparatively, the Phillies have hit .255/.317/.419 with a .319 wOBA and a wRC+ of 104. It's not even a matter of "luck" either, since Philadelphia's BABIP in that span of .298 is ahead of the Braves by 16 points. You could also argue that the Braves had a trip to Coors Field during that span but also they were racking up hits regardless of the venue during this most recent road trip. Both teams have still been solidly the mid-tier pack during this time span but it's clear that the Phillies aren't exactly firing on all cylinders while Atlanta may finally be finding their footing at the plate this season.
However, both teams have been having a tough time with their pitching and that probably explains why the Phillies have still had a comfortable lead at the top of the NL East despite sputtering a bit since the break. The Braves have had a collective ERA- and FIP- of 113 and 91, respectively and the Phillies have had an ERA- of 114 and a FIP- of 110 since the break. Additionally, you could argue here that the Braves may have had a bit of tough luck since their xFIP- is at 77 during that span. Philadelphia's collective xFIP- at 112, which implies that it's just been a struggle for them so far since the break.
So while the Phillies are going always going to be tough for the Braves to deal with no matter what form they're in and the Braves will be going into this game after losing Austin Riley to injury, this is still a game where the Braves can expect to compete and stay in a position to win. Aside from that nightmarish week with the Brewers and Rockies, the Braves have looked up for a baseball fight in the games that they've played recently and I'd be shocked if that didn't continue as they head into a big series opener with Philadelphia tonight. This should be a good one!
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, August 20, 7:20 P.M. ET
Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA
TV: Bally Sports South, TBS (out-of-market only)
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan
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