That Balls Outta Here
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Phillies welcome the Atlanta Braves: 5 things to watch for

By George Stockburger

BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 16: Rhys Hoskins #17 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits an RBI double during the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 16, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 16: Rhys Hoskins #17 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits an RBI double during the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 16, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 04: Starting pitcher Nick Pivetta #43 of the Philadelphia Phillies hands the ball to manager Gabe Kapler #22 after being removed from the game in the second inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on May 4, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 04: Starting pitcher Nick Pivetta #43 of the Philadelphia Phillies hands the ball to manager Gabe Kapler #22 after being removed from the game in the second inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on May 4, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

Nick Pivetta & Vince Velasquez

Both Nick Pivetta and Vince Velasquez have surprised fans and the club this season winning a combined seven games this year with a 4.01 ERA. Velasquez has impressed in his last two outing pitching through the sixth and averaging 16 pitches per inning, something that’s plagued his career.

Pivetta has also pitched two bounce-back games after allowing six runs in one inning against the Nationals. Striking out 18 hitters in his last 12 innings allowing six hits, one earned run, and one walk Pivetta looks like the budding star the Phillies saw in late April.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – MAY 10: Starting pitcher Vince Velasquez #28 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch in the third inning during a game against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park on May 10, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MAY 10: Starting pitcher Vince Velasquez #28 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch in the third inning during a game against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park on May 10, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /

The two starters will get the opening two games of the series against Atlanta. Pivetta is 3-1 in six starts against Atlanta with a 3.48 ERA while Velasquez is 0-4 with a 4.89 ERA in seven starts.

Luckily for the Phillies the hitters aren’t scheduled to face Atlanta’s best pitchers Julio Teheran or Sean Newcomb, suggesting some run support could be on the way for Pivetta and Velasquez.

Velasquez receives the sixth-most run support in baseball with the offense supplying seven runs a game. There’s an outlier with the Phillies 20-run game during his second start, but they’ve scored six runs in each of his last two starts. Pivetta receives much less support with 4.3 runs per game.

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