Phillies Series Preview: vs Atlanta Braves

PHILLIES KEYS TO VICTORY OVER BRAVES

ROTATION QUALITY STARTS: Eickhoff, Eflin, and Hellickson have all been pitching well, and against what is usually a popgun offense, this is a chance for them to continue those strong outings. The weather will be heating up down at Citizens Bank Park, which can mean offensive numbers trending upwards. The trio of Phillies starters needs to keep the ball down, out of the middle of the plate, and make a bunch of weak hitters do their bidding. This is the time to win games, not make mental errors that will cost the team losses against an inferior opponent.

KEEP PROVIDING THE FIREWORKS: the Phillies offensive attack has been just that, a legitimate attack, for weeks now. Over the last three weeks, they have actually been one of the more consistent offensive teams in the game, having scored 70 runs over the last dozen games. Odubel Herrera has remained the club’s most consistent threat and is the likely NL All-Star when that team is announced this week. But the improvement has come thanks to hot stretches from outfielders Peter Bourjos and Cody Asche, catcher Cameron Rupp, and the return of Maikel Franco‘s power stroke. Getting Tommy Joseph untracked would be nice, but with a trio of righties going for Atlanta, we could see more of Ryan Howard in what should be some of his final appearances as a Phillies player this week.

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