The stage is set.
The Braves’ road to repeating as World Series champions begins with a showdown with the Phillies in the National League Division Series. Game 1 is on Tuesday at Truist Park.
The National League East rivals will play a best-of-five series, with Games 3 and 4 coming in Philadelphia. The Braves and Phillies have been in the same division since 1994, but have only met once in the postseason – in 1993 when the Phillies beat the Braves in the National League Championship Series.
“I think the Phillies are hitting on all cylinders,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
Here are five keys to the NLDS:
The Braves must hit for power
This might seem obvious. Of course the Braves have to hit home runs.
Yes, but keep an open mind here.
The Braves are a homer-happy team. This is their identity, and it has proven to be sustainable. Their roster is full of guys with power.
Something that could be concerning is this: In the season’s final month, the Braves lost their first seven games in which they did not hit a home run. They went 1-7 down the stretch when they failed to hit a home run.
The Braves can certainly win games in different ways. Their best odds come when they hit for power because it’s what they do best.
The Braves finished second in the majors with 243 home runs in the regular season. Their .760 OPS as a team was tied for second.
Get to Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola
The Phillies are heavily reliant on starting pitchers Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. The front end of their rotation is great, but it drops off after those two.
Often, playoff series are about which aces lead their teams to victory. This will most likely be the case here.
The Phillies need Wheeler and Nola to win them games. On the other hand, the Braves are probably deep enough to win a series if they don’t win a game started by Max Fried or Kyle Wright.
Whether it be Shohei Ohtani or Jacob deGrom or Max Scherzer, the Braves have shown they can hammer elite pitching. Their offense versus Wheeler and Nola will be one of the series’ top storylines.
The bullpen will be a big factor
The bullpen never gets enough credit. That’s the nature of baseball.
We tend to rave about starting pitchers and high-powered offenses. Perhaps we marvel at a hard-throwing closer.
The Braves’ bullpen, however, has been fantastic this season. The team will need its relievers once again.
Kenley Jansen has pitched well since blowing a save in Seattle weeks ago. Raisel Iglesias and A.J. Minter are terrific late-innings options. Dylan Lee and Jesse Chavez have given the Braves more flexibility with how they use their bullpen.
A year ago, the bullpen helped the Braves win a World Series. The relievers feel their group is just as good this season.
Will Philly’s stars show up?
The Braves feature incredible depth. It’s one of their most important attributes when comparing them to other playoff teams.
Sure, Austin Riley and Dansby Swanson can have huge series. But so could Michael Harris and Eddie Rosario. The Braves received contributions from everyone in the final months of the season.
From first glance, it seems Philadelphia might be more reliant on its stars. Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos are massive parts of the lineup. The Phillies don’t have the depth Atlanta does.
The Phillies boast a strong lineup. They have five or six great hitters. But they probably need at least three of them to have big series if they want to upset the Braves.
“It’s a really, really great lineup over there,” Fried said Monday. “They’re extremely deep. One through nine can beat you. And they’re here for a reason.”
Braves’ deep rotation could be important
Max Fried can be trusted. It looks like Kyle Wright has earned that same trust.
But what can the Braves get from Charlie Morton? If he tosses a quality start, their chances of winning the series increase exponentially. History says he’s a big-game pitcher.
And will Spencer Strider pitch? On Monday, Snitker said the Braves were still deciding whether Strider would pitch in the series. Asked if Strider might be able to pitch out of the bullpen, Snitker said: “Everything is an option, quite honestly.”
If Strider starts a game and pitches like he can, it would be a huge boost for Atlanta.
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