Game 1 of the division series round on Tuesday afternoon matches National League East rivals in Atlanta when the Braves host the Philadelphia Phillies.
Philadelphia surges past St. Louis in the best-of-three wildcard round to set up the all-East NL Division Series. Atlanta is the reigning World Series winner and enters Tuesday fully rested after ending the regular season Oct. 5.
TEE TIME
The five-time National League East and defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves will enter the NL Division Series Tuesday with an edge in experience when they host the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1.
The sixth-seeded Phillies swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the wild-card round as the Braves awaited their opponent.
“I think experience in the playoffs is huge,” Atlanta’s Dansby Swanson said. “This is the fifth year of us doing this. You start to understand how to slow down certain moments. You start to understand what it’s going to take in certain moments to be successful.”
While the Braves own home-field advantage in this series, they’re well aware of how talented their opponent is in the Phillies.
Philadelphia is +200 at Caesars Sportsbook to win the series. The Braves are -174.
PITCHER PICTURE
Atlanta’s odds for a 3-0 series sweep start at +400 for those focused on futures.
The Braves will hand the ball to Max Fried (14-7, 2.48 ERA regular season) on Tuesday. He has a 4-4 record with a 3.74 ERA in 18 career appearances (12 starts) against Philadelphia. The Phillies are going with right-hander Ranger Suarez (10-7, 3.65 ERA regular season), who went 6-3 on the road this season.
“You know that every single team you’re playing this time of year is an amazing team and they’re really well-rounded,” Fried said. “You’ve got to bring your A game.”
Suarez struggled to get William Contreras out. Contreras has six hits in 14 at-bats including two home runs. Austin Riley also hits Suarez well, to the tune of a .417 average (5 for 12 with two doubles).
He takes the ball for the first time in these playoffs. Suarez has a career record of 2-2 with a 3.21 ERA in 15 appearances (six starts) vs. the Braves.
The teams split the final regular-season series of the season (four games) with a total of one run scored in the opener of that series, a matchup of these starting pitchers.
–Our Pick: Game 1 under 7 runs at -100 with Caesars Sportsbook
HEALTH CHECK
Ronald Acuna Jr. is expected to start on Tuesday, but he was excused from Monday’s workout due to a family matter.
The Braves will play this entire series without Ozzie Albies, who’s recovering from a fractured right pinky finger.
Bryce Harper launched a mammoth home run in Game 2 to help clinch the series against the Cardinals. After missing 52 games with a broken left thumb, Harper scuffled down the stretch with three home runs in 35 games since his return. But the reigning NL Most Valuable Player rallied in the postseason to help cement his first career series victory.
“Hopefully the more I go, the more comfortable I get,” Harper said. “Everybody knows I’m not being myself right now. But each day, I feel good. I feel better each day.”
Harper has eight hits and two home runs in 28 career at-bats against Fried, and has a .322 batting average facing current Phillies pitchers. Fried didn’t pitch beyond the sixth inning in any of his starts against Philadelphia this season, but had 25 strikeouts in 23 total innings pitched.
The biggest obstacle in this lineup for Fried historically has been catcher J.T. Realmuto (.333 average, 12 hits in 36 at-bats). But both players also have 10 career Ks against the lefty.
–Our Picks: Fried over 4.5 strikeouts at -115 at Caesars Sportsbook; Realmuto over 1.5 total bases at +130 with Caesars Sportsbook
–Field Level Media