Start a New Streak— Series Preview: Braves at Phillies, May 27-29

The Phillies return to Citizens Bank Park riding high after a dominant 6-1 West Coast swing, arguably their most impressive stretch of the season. As of Sunday morning, the Phillies had a nine-game win streak, a feat they haven’t achieved since Rob Thomson‘s first days as manager in 2022. Although Sunday’s loss to the Athletics snapped their streak, the Phillies still secured the series with gritty victories on Friday and Saturday. The offense flourished, starting pitching shined despite a “concrete mound,” and the bullpen still needs work.

Moving on from the Triple-A ballparks, the Phillies will be hosting their division rivals, the Atlanta Braves, for a mid-week, three-game series starting Tuesday night. The Braves have had a rough year so far, but have gotten offensive firepower back with the return of Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider.

Despite a slow start, the Braves took two games off the Phillies in early April, their lowest point this season. The panic button was close to being pushed. Bryce Harper was slumping, the bullpen couldn’t be figured out, and the rest of the offense took a backseat. Keep in mind, at this point, Alec Bohm was still batting third, and Bryson Stott hadn’t seen the leadoff spot yet.

Since that early April series, the Braves have managed to get within two games of .500, which is still not very impressive.

Big Bats Stay Hot

Harper and Trea Turner have been on an absolute tear in the Phillies’ last few series, let alone Kyle Schwarber, who has been their most consistent offensive weapon. Turner and Harper, the Phillies’ second and third hitters in the lineup, have produced runs by themselves at a much higher rate than in the first month of the season.

In their last three series, Harper is hitting .390 with only three strikeouts, and Turner is hitting .349 with three home runs. Since Harper shaved his head a few weeks ago, he’s flipped the switch and boosted his batting average 50 points (.225 to .275). He has been special to watch. Turner has solidified himself as a .300 hitter, as all Phillies fans expected him to be when he signed for 300 million.

These two need to keep hitting well and putting pressure on the opposing teams early in the game. They’ve done it against the Rockies and Athletics, but need to do it against a team like the Braves–who should not be written off. When these two get it going early in the games, it’s deflating for opposing teams.

Bipolar Bullpen

Thanks to an untimely suspension and an already lack of arms, the Phillies’ bullpen has been going through peaks and valleys. Orion Kerkering has not allowed a run in his last seven appearances and has taken up the fireman role when needed. Kerkering’s also been a decent setup man and seems to be finding his groove. However, Matt Strahm has shown two different sides of himself, one dominant and one weak. Strahm needs to stay with his dominant side because, as of right now, he’s one of the top options out of the pen.

Jordan Romano had one bad appearance in Sacramento, but before that, he had been dominant. They’ve all been bipolar, and perhaps it’s the plethora of situations they’ve been put into, but they need to tighten up for this series. Last time they played the Braves, the bullpen was responsible for a few deficits and was a main contributor to the series loss. With the way this offense has been playing, it shouldn’t take too much bullpen fixture to get a few wins against their rivals.

The Phillies have been playing phenomenal baseball against bad teams. They’ll need to carry their offensive momentum into this Atlanta series to prove they can beat teams that aren’t bottom feeders. Atlanta may not be at their best, but they’re still a pesky rival and could provide a solid series win for their résumé.

Game Times and Broadcasts

Tuesday, May 27, 6:45 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, TBS (out-of-market only), 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680

Wednesday, May 28, 6:45 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, MLB Network, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680

Thursday, May 98, 6:45 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, MLB Network (out-of-market only), 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680

Probable Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Ranger Suarez (LHP, 3-0, 3.70 ERA) vs. Spencer Strider (RHP, 0-2, 5.79 ERA)

Game 2: Zack Wheeler (RHP, 6-1, 2.42 ERA) vs. AJ Smith-Shawver (RHP, 3-2, 3.67 ERA)

Game 3: Cristopher Sanchez (LHP, 4-1, 3.17 ERA) vs. Chris Sale (LHP, 2-3, 3.36 ERA)

By the Numbers

• Records
• Phillies: 34-19
• Braves: 25-27

• Run Differential 
• Phillies: 42
• Braves: 11

• Runs Scored Per Game 
• Phillies: 4.91
• Braves: 4.15

• Runs Allowed Per Game 
• Phillies: 4.11
• Braves: 3.94

---

Use code PHILLYSPORTSREPORT for $20 off your first SeatGeek order

Click here to save 10% on any order at FOCO