Braves Go for 2nd Straight Over Phillies

Fried Back from Blister on Finger to Face Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies face the NL East leading Atlanta Braves on Saturday evening. This is the 2nd game of a 3 game series that could set the tone for the rest of the season in the battle for the division crown. The Braves look to take care of business before heading to Washington to face the 2nd place Nationals.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FS South (Atlanta), NBC 10 (Philadelphia); LINE: Braves -121; O/U: 10 Under -112.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves LH Max Fried (10-4, 4.08 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Zach Eflin (7-10, 4.25)

The Philadelphia Phillies had won 15 of their past 25 games entering a huge weekend series at home against the National League East-leading Atlanta Braves. They come into Saturday after a sloppy performance sent them to a 9-2 defeat in the series opener. The Phillies play was not up to standard. They committed two errors, saw starter Jake Arrieta give up five runs, and reliever Cole Irvin walk in two runs. The messiness caused the team to lose for just the second time in seven games and drop 6 1/2 games behind Atlanta in the standings.

Shortstop Jean Segura finished 3-for-5 on the night. That gives him a team-high nine, three-hit games this season. The Phillies went 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position to seal their fate. They left nine on base to fall to 2-5 against the Braves since sweeping Atlanta in the opening series of the season. The Braves were in somewhat of a funk. The team only averaged 3.4 runs and 8.5 hits while losing six of eight coming into Friday. They posted back-to-back four-run innings to finish with their highest-scoring game since scoring 12 against the Phillies on July 4th. Outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. extended the majors' longest current on-base streak to 30 games. He young phenom ended with two hits, driving home three runs and stealing his 10th base in the past 11 games. Catcher Brian McCann continued his renaissance. He homered en route to a 2-for-4 performance, raising his average to .387 in his past eight games. Atlanta extended its lead in the East over second-place Washington to 5 1/2 games.

This, That, and a Braves and Phillies Dart Throw

The Braves, Fried returns from a blister on his hand. The blister ended his last start at Milwaukee, on July 15th, after five innings. The kid was on a roll as well by giving up only three-hits of scoreless pitching. The injury landed him on the injured list. Fried has struggled at times in his first full season in the major league rotation. He had a 6.17 ERA with a .339 opponents batting average during his previous eight starts before the Milwaukee outing. He had given up three earned runs or fewer four times in that span. Fried surrendered five runs on seven hits over 4-2/3 innings against the Phillies on June 14th. Fried also made two scoreless relief appearances against them in late March. RF Nick Markakis has appeared in 270 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak in the majors. He left Friday's game in the sixth inning after being hit with a pitch on the left wrist. Manager Brian Snitker told reporters post-game the injury, "doesn't look good."

The Phillies, Eflin began the month with a difficult outing against the Braves on July 4th. He surrendered seven runs (six earned), on seven hits over three innings in a 12-6 loss. He followed that by allowing seven runs on nine hits across six innings on July 15th against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Efflin rebounded somewhat in his last outing July 20 at Pittsburgh. He gave up three runs, on five hits, with no walks, and three strikeouts over four innings. Eflin has allowed six earned runs or more in three of his past five outings. Heis 5-3 with a 3.88 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in eight home starts this season.

The Dart Throw: Braves 8, Phillies 2

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Braves vs Phillies Betting Odds & Trends

Atlanta Braves
Atlanta is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 6 games
Atlanta is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Atlanta is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Atlanta is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
Atlanta is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Philadelphia
Atlanta is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta's last 7 games when playing Philadelphia
Atlanta is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Atlanta is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia

Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games
Philadelphia is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 6 games
Philadelphia is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games at home
Philadelphia is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Atlanta
Philadelphia is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
Philadelphia is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 7 games when playing Atlanta
Philadelphia is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Philadelphia is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta

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