The Atlanta Braves make their second visit of the season to Citizens Bank Park in Monday’s NL East tilt with the Philadelphia Phillies. They failed to secure the sweep in Sunday’s finale against the Los Angeles Angels, but they did take home their second straight series victory. Meanwhile, the Phillies got dominated in a three-game weekend sweep against the Chicago Cubs. Max Fried is slated to start on the mound for the Braves opposite of Phillies’ lefty Ranger Suarez.
The first road trip in the post-All Star break for the Braves will be Citizens Bank Park against a Phillies team that’s ranked third in the NL East division. This series gives the defending champions an opportunity to put some distance between themselves and the Phillies, along with potentially overtaking the New York Mets as the No. 1 team in the division.
This Phillies team is no offensive cakewalk, but you wouldn’t know that if you saw the way they got hammered by the Chicago Cubs over the weekend. If those struggles persist in the opener, the Braves might not even break a sweat in this divisional battle. But if things get tight, they could have a legitimate fight on their hands.
However, having Max Fried starting at pitcher is always a cause for comfort. The Braves’ lefty is throwing a 2.64 ERA with a 10-3 record on the season. He has won three of his last four starts wi th at least two of those victories coming on the road.
But it’s always dangerous when facing a power-hitting team like Philly. They’re averaging the seventh-most home runs (1.30) per game and sixth most runs in total (4.63).