The Philadelphia Phillies dropped game one of this four-game series to the Atlanta Braves 7-2 on Thursday night, but hopefully, second game’s the charm.
After the series opener, the Braves and Phillies now have identical 47-48 records, sharing second place in the NL East. This weekend is absolutely crucial for the Phillies; if they lose this series, it might impact the front office’s decision to be “aggressive” buyers at the trade deadline.
What Channel is the Phillies Game on Today?
Tonight’s Phillies game is available on NBC Sports Philadelphia, Bally Sports Southeast, and MLB.TV (blackout restrictions may apply).
Phillies vs Braves Odds Today
Despite losing the series opener, the Phillies are the favorite to win tonight’s game. They’re -165 on the moneyline today (bet $165 to win $100), while the Braves are +130 (best $100 to win $130).
The spread has Atlanta at +1.5 at -150 (bet $150 to win $100), while the Phillies are -1.5 at +130 (bet $100 to win $130).
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Phillies vs Braves Pitching Matchup
Phillies ace Zack Wheeler is on the mound tonight against Max Fried.
Wheeler is fresh off his first All-Star Game, has the second-most innings pitched of any arm in the game, and his 2.44 ERA ranks eighth overall. But he’s also scuffled a bit recently; in his last two starts, he’s allowed four earned runs apiece, and not pitched more than six innings. For many pitchers nowadays, six innings is admirable, but 12 of Wheeler’s 19 starts this season have been at least 6 /13 innings. The Phillies need Wheeler’s skid to end tonight.
Fried, meanwhile, has a 4.29 ERA this season, and made his first start of the year against the Phillies, striking out eight over five innings. His most recent start was seven shutout innings against the Tampa Bay Rays, his first scoreless start of the year.
It’s worth noting that Fried is averaging 6.07 runs of support in his starts this season. However, it’s also obviously worth noting that the opposing pitcher is Wheeler.
The Phillies haven’t given their ace much run support, an average of 3.76. Hopefully, the lineup can knock Fried around a bit.
Phillies Starting Lineup
Today’s lineup. pic.twitter.com/PDpUCF2FwK
— Destiny Lugardo (@destiny_lugardo) July 23, 2021
Phillies vs Braves Predictions Today
This one feels hard to predict because as excellent as Wheeler has been overall this season, he’s coming off two rough starts, and like some of the other aces around the league, doesn’t typically get a lot of run support.
Weirdly, this feels like the kind of night that Fried would repeat his last start while the Phillies offense continues their trend of not giving Wheeler enough run support. Recipe for disaster? We’ll find out tonight.
Phillies vs Live Stream
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