Phillies Game Today: Phillies vs Braves Lineup, Odds, Prediction, Pick, Pitcher, TV Channel for September 28

This is the big one kids. Beginning Tuesday night, the Philadelphia Phillies play for all the marbles. Go big or go home.

For their penultimate series of the regular season, the second-place Phillies take on the first-place Braves. The Phillies are 81-75, 2 1/2 games out of first, behind the 83-72 Braves.

Mathematically, there is zero chance of either the Phillies or Braves making the NL Wild Card, so these two teams’ only hope of postseason baseball is to win the division.

What Time is the Phillies Game Today?

First pitch today is scheduled for 7:20 PM ET.

What Channel is the Phillies Game on Today?

Today’s Phillies game is available on NBC Sports Philadelphia, Bally Sports South, Fox Sports 1, and MLB.TV (blackout restrictions may apply).

Phillies vs Braves Odds Today

The Braves are favored over the Phillies on the moneyline tonight -125 (bet $125 to win $100) to +105 (bet $100 to win $105).

The spread has Philadelphia +1.5 at -200 (bet $200 to win $100) and Atlanta -1.5 at +170 (bet $100 to win $170).

If betting on runs is your thing, the over/under tonight is 7.5, with both the over and under at -110 (bet $110 to win $100).

Phillies Pitcher Today: Zack Wheeler

The Phillies ace is on the bump for the series opener, which is exactly how a division race in late September should be.

Zack Wheeler has a 2.79 ERA over 31 starts, with 240 strikeouts over 206 1/3 innings pitched. This is his first season of over 200 innings, as well as his first 200+ strikeout season, and he was the first pitcher in all of MLB to reach both marks this year.

After a rough August in which he allowed four or more earned runs in five of six starts, Wheeler has rebounded in September, not allowing more than one earned run in any of his four appearances thus far. He has a 1.14 ERA and 2.02 FIP this month, and opposing lineups are hitting .207/.274/.299 with a .573 OPS against him. Of course, three of his opponents in September have been bad teams: the Rockies, Mets, and Orioles, so take his numbers this month with a grain of salt.

However, Wheeler has pitched well against the Braves this season. In four starts against them, he has a 1.35 ERA over 26 2/3 innings, with 34 strikeouts, six walks, and four earned runs. The Braves bats have slashed .200/.248/.274 with a .521 OPS against them, and hopefully, those low numbers continue tonight.

Wheeler will go up against Charlie Morton, the veteran righty who returned to the franchise that drafted him way back in 2002, and with whom he spent his debut season in 2008. Morton has a 3.53 ERA over 31 starts this season, with 203 strikeouts, 69 earned runs allowed, and 56 walks issued over 176 innings.

This will be Morton’s fifth time facing the Phillies in 2021, and he has a 3.06 ERA in four prior starts. Phillies batters have managed to slash .261/.354/.362 with a .717 OPS against Morton, with two doubles, a triple, and a home run.

Fans may remember that Morton actually pitched for the Phillies in 2016, but only started four games before a torn hamstring ended his season in late April.

Phillies Starting Lineup

Phillies vs Braves Prediction Today

Call me crazy, but I think the Phillies can win this one. They have no problem getting right up behind the Braves in the standings; it’s tying or surpassing them that they seem incapable of.

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Phillies vs Braves Live Stream

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