Philadelphia will try to take a commanding 2-0 lead against Atlanta in the NLDS when the teams meet in the second game of the series on Wednesday afternoon. The Phillies got past the Cardinals in the NL Wild Card round before picking up a 7-6 win to open this series on Tuesday. Atlanta trailed 7-1 before scoring five consecutive runs to close the game.
Philadelphia is in the postseason for the first time in more than a decade, and the Phillies have taken advantage of the opportunity thus far. They beat St. Louis in straight games over the weekend before riding a hot start to Tuesday’s win. Designated hitter Bryce Harper homered against St. Louis and added a 3 of 3 day at the plate to open this series. The Phillies are still waiting for slugger Kyle Schwarber to get hot, as he has gone hitless so far this postseason. They rank eighth in the majors in team batting average this year, batting at a .253 clip.
*loud noises* pic.twitter.com/HRRD9wHLTI
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 11, 2022
Right-handed pitcher Zack Wheeler is going to be on the mound for Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon. He allowed two hits across five scoreless innings against Washington in his final start of the regular season, finishing with a 2.82 ERA across 153 outstanding innings. Wheeler’s success continued in the NL Wild Card round, as he threw 6.1 shutout frames against St. Louis, giving up just two hits and one walk in the 6-3 win to open that series. He is 10-7 with a 3.16 ERA and 152 strikeouts in 24 appearances against Atlanta during his career. His start against St. Louis last week was his first ever playoff outing.