<img alt="Atlanta Braves v San Diego Padres" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tSCEi2D7N_aK3FfFHMwz_8EUCZQ=/0x0:7608x5072/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73554718/2162339415.0.jpg">
Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images
López has performed well on two separate occasions against the Phillies so far this season. Here’s hoping that tonight is the third time! Following an extremely frustrating loss where bad decision-making turned into bad results and a four-run lead turned into a 5-4 defeat, the Atlanta Braves are looking to dust themselves off and get things back on track against the Philadelphia Phillies.
While the Phillies may have had the pleasure of not seeing Charlie Morton previously (at least as far as this season is concerned), this’ll be the third time that they’re seeing Reynaldo López this season and I think we’re all hoping that the third time won’t be the charm for Philadelphia. If anything, here’s hoping that López can send the Phillies into triple trouble, as he’s had plenty of success against the Phillies so far this season.
Back on July 7, López went six innings and kept the Phillies off of the scoreboard for the duration of his start while only giving up two hits and three walks. He also struck out six Phillies batters and the Braves ended up taking a comfortable 6-0 win on the night. 10 days ago, López returned from the IL and essentially picked up where he left off as far as his successful season was concerned. While his outing was shorter by one innings last time, it was still a strong start as he only gave up one run and struck out 10 batters while only giving up one walk while he was out there.
Obviously, Philadelphia is surely hoping that both the third time seeing him and the change in venue should help them out. Both of López’s starts against Philly took place in Cobb County and naturally López has been a better pitcher at home so far this season. With that being said, his 2.45 ERA, 2.88 FIP and 3.91 xFIP aren’t too far away from what he’s done at home so far (1.72 ERA, 3.07 FIP, 3.60 xFIP at home) so it isn’t like we should expect a night-and-day difference between what took place at Truist Park and what might happen tonight at Citizens Bank Park. The Braves need a strong start and López seems as good of a candidate as anybody to deliver it.
Meanwhile, Ranger Suárez is getting the start for the Phillies this evening and while López is looking to keep his run of success against Philadelphia going, Suárez is looking to finally set the record straight against the Braves. While Suárez has definitely been one of Philadelphia’s most reliable starters so far this season, he still has yet to to deliver a dominant start against Atlanta. While the Phillies did beat the Braves 6-5 back on March 31, Suárez did give up three runs over the five innings while he was out there. When they locked horns again back on July 6, Atlanta got him for five runs over five innings and that included a home run from Marcell Ozuna.
I suppose since I went over the home/away splits with Reynaldo López that it would only be fair to do the same with Ranger Suárez and his are actually a bit interesting. At home, Suárez has an ERA of 2.86, a FIP of 3.03 and an xFIP of 3.24. However, he’s pitched to the tune of a 2.79 ERA, a 2.87 FIP and a 2.97 xFIP on the road, so he’s fared a bit better away from Philadelphia than he has while pitching at home. Again, I’m not saying that this means that the Braves are going to bulldoze him tonight but this does seem like an opportunity for the offense to keep things going in a positive manner.
Speaking of the lineup, this has been a pretty solid week for Atlanta so far. Perhaps it has to do with Matt Olson bouncing back in big-time fashion. Olson has had a big week so far with eight hits — four of those have been doubles and three of them have been homers and he’s racked up 10 RBIs during this stretch. His recent resurgence has seen him crack the 100 mark for wRC+ on the season and while his overall numbers here in 2024 are still very underwhelming, it would still be huge for the Braves if this is finally a resurgence that sticks around for Olson.
Last night was definitely a tough one to take but as with all things related to negativity in baseball, all you can do is flush it because there’s always another game right around the corner. This serves as an opportunity as well, as the Braves are still right in the thick of things in the standings and any wins they can pick up this weekend will be crucial. A potential sweep was always a bit of a moonshot but now that it’s off the cards, maybe we’ll see the Braves lock in for the rest of this series — starting with tonight’s game.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Friday, August 30, 6:40 P.M. ET
Location: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
TV: Bally Sports Southeast
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan
<img alt="Atlanta Braves v San Diego Padres" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tSCEi2D7N_aK3FfFHMwz_8EUCZQ=/0x0:7608x5072/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73554718/2162339415.0.jpg">
Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images
López has performed well on two separate occasions against the Phillies so far this season. Here’s hoping that tonight is the third time! Following an extremely frustrating loss where bad decision-making turned into bad results and a four-run lead turned into a 5-4 defeat, the Atlanta Braves are looking to dust themselves off and get things back on track against the Philadelphia Phillies.
While the Phillies may have had the pleasure of not seeing Charlie Morton previously (at least as far as this season is concerned), this’ll be the third time that they’re seeing Reynaldo López this season and I think we’re all hoping that the third time won’t be the charm for Philadelphia. If anything, here’s hoping that López can send the Phillies into triple trouble, as he’s had plenty of success against the Phillies so far this season.
Back on July 7, López went six innings and kept the Phillies off of the scoreboard for the duration of his start while only giving up two hits and three walks. He also struck out six Phillies batters and the Braves ended up taking a comfortable 6-0 win on the night. 10 days ago, López returned from the IL and essentially picked up where he left off as far as his successful season was concerned. While his outing was shorter by one innings last time, it was still a strong start as he only gave up one run and struck out 10 batters while only giving up one walk while he was out there.
Obviously, Philadelphia is surely hoping that both the third time seeing him and the change in venue should help them out. Both of López’s starts against Philly took place in Cobb County and naturally López has been a better pitcher at home so far this season. With that being said, his 2.45 ERA, 2.88 FIP and 3.91 xFIP aren’t too far away from what he’s done at home so far (1.72 ERA, 3.07 FIP, 3.60 xFIP at home) so it isn’t like we should expect a night-and-day difference between what took place at Truist Park and what might happen tonight at Citizens Bank Park. The Braves need a strong start and López seems as good of a candidate as anybody to deliver it.
Meanwhile, Ranger Suárez is getting the start for the Phillies this evening and while López is looking to keep his run of success against Philadelphia going, Suárez is looking to finally set the record straight against the Braves. While Suárez has definitely been one of Philadelphia’s most reliable starters so far this season, he still has yet to to deliver a dominant start against Atlanta. While the Phillies did beat the Braves 6-5 back on March 31, Suárez did give up three runs over the five innings while he was out there. When they locked horns again back on July 6, Atlanta got him for five runs over five innings and that included a home run from Marcell Ozuna.
I suppose since I went over the home/away splits with Reynaldo López that it would only be fair to do the same with Ranger Suárez and his are actually a bit interesting. At home, Suárez has an ERA of 2.86, a FIP of 3.03 and an xFIP of 3.24. However, he’s pitched to the tune of a 2.79 ERA, a 2.87 FIP and a 2.97 xFIP on the road, so he’s fared a bit better away from Philadelphia than he has while pitching at home. Again, I’m not saying that this means that the Braves are going to bulldoze him tonight but this does seem like an opportunity for the offense to keep things going in a positive manner.
Speaking of the lineup, this has been a pretty solid week for Atlanta so far. Perhaps it has to do with Matt Olson bouncing back in big-time fashion. Olson has had a big week so far with eight hits — four of those have been doubles and three of them have been homers and he’s racked up 10 RBIs during this stretch. His recent resurgence has seen him crack the 100 mark for wRC+ on the season and while his overall numbers here in 2024 are still very underwhelming, it would still be huge for the Braves if this is finally a resurgence that sticks around for Olson.
Last night was definitely a tough one to take but as with all things related to negativity in baseball, all you can do is flush it because there’s always another game right around the corner. This serves as an opportunity as well, as the Braves are still right in the thick of things in the standings and any wins they can pick up this weekend will be crucial. A potential sweep was always a bit of a moonshot but now that it’s off the cards, maybe we’ll see the Braves lock in for the rest of this series — starting with tonight’s game.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Friday, August 30, 6:40 P.M. ET
Location: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
TV: Bally Sports Southeast
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan
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