Thursday’s matchup between the Phillies and Braves is set to get started at 7:08 PM ET from Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. The Phillies are 74-52 and are starting Cristopher Sanchez, while the Braves are 67-59 and will have Spencer Schwellenbach on the mound.
Philadelphia is currently 1st in the NL East, while the Braves are 2nd in the division. The money line odds have the Phillies at -107 compared to the Braves at -112. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs, and FOX is carrying this game on TV.
Phillies Look to Extend NL East Lead as Sánchez Faces Braves on the Road
Philadelphia is on the road today for the 126th game of the season, and they currently lead the NL East with a record of 74-52. The Phillies hold a seven-game lead over the Braves for the division lead. So far, they have gone 20-13 in divisional games. The Phillies have an overall series record of 21-14-6 this year, and they are 5-5 over their last ten games. At home, the Phillies have gone 42-23 compared to 32-29 on the road. So far, they have been a good favorite, putting up a mark of 63-40. As the road favorite, the Phillies are 22-19 this year.
Left-hander Cristopher Sánchez gets the start for the Phillies today as he faces the Braves on the road. He has made 24 starts this season and has a record of 9-8 with a 3.46 ERA. Sánchez’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.25. In his 24 appearances, he has turned in 13 quality starts, two complete games, and one shutout. Sánchez’s most recent outing was a strong one, as he went nine innings, giving up just one earned run and picking up the win. Before that, he had given up at least one homer in three straight outings. Per nine innings, Sánchez has 6.93 strikeouts and just 2.18 walks. The Phillies’ offense is led by Alec Bohm, Bryce Harper, and Kyle Schwarber. Bohm is hitting .295 with 13 home runs and 85 RBI. Harper has 26 home runs and 73 RBI while hitting .273. Schwarber has a team-high 28 home runs and 79 RBI. Trea Turner is hitting .417 over his last six games.
Braves Battle for NL East: Schwellenbach Shines, Ozuna Streaks
The Braves are 67-59 and trail the Phillies by seven games in the NL East. They are 19-17 in divisional games and 33-27 at home. As the favorite, the Braves are 57-46 and 10-13 as the underdog. Atlanta is 20-15-5 in series this year and have won two straight series. They are 58-68 against the run line this season, with an average run margin of +0.4 runs per game. Their current series record is 25-35 at home and 33-33 on the road. The Braves have a 4.3 runs per game average, which is 16th in the league. They are 4th in homers with 165 and have a team batting average of .241 (12th).
Spencer Schwellenbach is 4-6 with a 4.04 ERA this year and has a WHIP of 1.07. He is averaging 10.11 strikeouts per nine innings and has seven quality starts in 13 outings. The Braves are 47-74 on the over/under this season, and they have gone 7-13-1 when the line is set at 8 runs. Currently, they are on a 3-game under streak. Schwellenbach’s last outing came on August 16th, where he gave up three earned runs in five innings, and he allowed two homers. Marcell Ozuna is hitting .309 with 37 homers for the Braves and is on a 6-game hitting streak, hitting .440 over his last 7 games.
Braves to Edge Phillies in High-Scoring Thriller: Bet on the Money Line and the Over
Our prediction for today’s Phillies vs. Braves matchup is to take the Braves on the money line at -112. We have the Braves winning this one by a final score of 6-5. With the over/under line sitting at 8 runs, you could also look to take the over, as we have this game going over that line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Spencer Schwellenbach finishing with five strikeouts compared to Cristopher Sanchez with just four. Sanchez is projected to go five innings, while Schwellenbach is projected to go six.
