The Philadelphia Phillies (23-27) are on the road to face the Atlanta Braves (31-19) at Truist Park on Friday. The Braves took Thursday’s series opener 8-5.
Reliever Nick Anderson threw one scoreless inning to get the win, and Raisel Iglesias earned his fourth save with a scoreless ninth. Marcell Ozuna went 2 for 3 with a home run and a double in the win.
He scored three runs. Austin Riley added two home runs and three RBIs. Bryce Harper was 3 for 4 with a home run and two runs for the Phillies. Alec Bohm added a home run and two RBIs.
ON THE MOUND
Taijuan Walker (3-2, 5.79 ERA) is slated to take the mound for Philadelphia. The RHP threw 5.1 scoreless innings in his last start, a 2-1 home win over the Cubs on Sunday. He scattered two hits while striking out three and walking three in the no-decision.
Walker is making his first appearance against the Braves this season. Over two starts against the Braves in 2022, Walker was 0-1 with a 24.00 ERA over three innings.
He had two walks against no strikeouts. For Atlanta, left-hander Jared Shuster (1-2, 5.49 ERA) will toe the rubber. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Phillies.
In his last start on Sunday, Shuster got the win at home against the Mariners. He threw six innings and gave up one run on one hit, striking out seven and walking one in the 3-2 triumph.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Philadelphia has averaged 3.8 runs a game, a small drop compared to their season average of 4.3. Against lefties like Shuster this season, the Phils have a .704 OPS.
Brandon Marsh is the team’s most potent producer against left-handers with a .882 OPS in 37 at-bats.Atlanta is averaging only 4.4 runs per game in the last five, down slightly from 5.2 for the season.
The Braves have a .729 OPS against right-handers in 2023. With a .405 OBP over 129 at-bats, Ronald Acuna Jr. has their highest on-base percentage against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Philadelphia is on a five-game losing streak on the road, bringing their record to 9-17 in 2023. The Phils have scored 4.0 runs per game away from home, while allowing 5.9 runs.
Atlanta has gone 14-12 at home this season, averaging 4.7 runs per game while surrendering 4.9. In the last 10 games at Truist Park between the NL East rivals, Atlanta is 7-3 with an average scoreline of 5.6-3.1.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Braves lead the NL East by five games over the Mets. The Phillies are fourth in the NL East, eight games behind the Braves.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Atlanta Braves (-150)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
