4 overreactions from the Phillies’ disappointing opening weekend against the Braves
By Edward Eng
After dropping the first two games of the series in a somewhat embarrassing fashion to the Atlanta Braves to start the 2024 MLB season, the Philadelphia Phillies gained some redemption in the finale, prevailing 5-4 in a come-from-behind victory over their division arch-rivals. Not only did it help salvage some pride and confidence for the ballclub heading into the new week, but it showed their resilience despite being dominated for much of the entire weekend.
After witnessing what occurred in this opening series, there were quite a few overreactions to the Phillies' overall performance. Here, we will look at four overreactions that should have Phillies fans both worried and excited.
The Phillies have 'zero' chance of winning the NL East
When the Phillies surprisingly knocked off the Braves in just four games in the NLDS last season, many believed that the team could actually match toe-to-toe with their divisional rival when given the chance. Despite the Braves being predicted to likely repeat as NL East divisional winners this season, the Phillies were brought up in the conversation, potentially giving the Braves a run for the title given their strong pitching staff and potent offensive bats.
However, all of that strong pitching and prolific hitting was alarmingly absent during much of the three-game series. The Braves outhit the Phillies 39-22 and outscored them 25-12 in commanding fashion. If the Phillies hadn’t managed to salvage a victory on Sunday with their late-inning comeback, things would feel even worse on Monday morning.
In retrospect, the Braves have also taken the season series against the Phillies in each of the past three years. So maybe Braves manager Brian Snitker’s comments were right about the disappearance of his team's offense during the 2023 playoffs being due to the long layoff, leading to their ultimate defeat at the hands of the Phillies. There was certainly no five-day break this time prior to the series, and boy, did Atlanta tee off big time.