Phillies Opposition Roadblock: Atlanta Braves Series Opener

1 of 4

Apr 15, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson celebrates a victory with teammates against the San Diego Padres at SunTrust Park. The Braves defeated the Padres 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

The Phillies are coming off an impressive series win in New York. They overcame their struggles against the always difficult Mets. Now they gear up for a six-game homestand that starts with the Atlanta Braves.

The Phillies were a Jay Bruce offensive explosion away from a series sweep in New York. While the 5-7 outcome during the last twelve all against the Washington Nationals and the aforementioned Mets could have been better, Phils fans should be really excited. They could have won at least three more games on the roadtrip, but they showed a ton of resilience throughout the dozen games. Yoenis Cespedes did not have an extremely noticeable impact on the Phillies this series.

However,if you think back to Wednesday night’s loss, he drew a critical walk off Vince Velasquez that brought Bruce, the eventual go ahead run, to the plate. Velasquez was cruising until that walk. Overall, Cespedes was 3-9 in the series (three walks and three runs), but the staff kept him check overall as he did not severe damage. He had to leave the third game (after only two at bats) with a leg cramp and the middle of the Mets lineup seemed far less threatening as a result.

Phils Grade: A-

Live Feed

3 Mets players on the 40-man roster in danger of not making it to Opening Day /

Rising Apple

The Fab Five are all gone, where are they now? Rising Apple

Latest Carlos Correa update provides surprisingly good news for Mets FanSided

Silence on Carlos Correa shows difference in New York Mets Call to the Pen

The Wilpons remind us why we love Steve Cohen while Keith Hernandez remains unsigned by SNY Rising Apple

The Mets roster already has an ideal Darin Ruf replacement on it Rising Apple

Anyone wearing Phillies gear today should be incredibly excited about the performance the Phillies had against Noah Syndergaard last night. If you read my original article, it was no secret that I believed the Phils had a slim chance of winning last night. And let’s be clear, Thor had his normal stuff. He was in the strike zone with his impressive velocity and movement all evening. However, the Phils did not let he or his teammates off the hook when they made mistakes. He was tagged for seven hits and five runs (three of them earned) over his seven innings. The thing about Syndergaard is that even when he gets hit, he is still going to look as though he dominated, so the ten strikeouts should not be a surprise. The Phillies were extremely successful against him.

The hope is that the success gives them momentum as they return home for the continuation of the NL East tour for six games against the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins.

Phils Grade: A+

Home/Phillies News