It’s a Brave New NL Divisional Playoff Round

The Atlanta Braves will now enter the playoffs to play the Philadelphia Phillies who are red-hot after sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals. This series will feature some great pitching matchups and a lot of thumpers in both lineups. The Braves have home-field advantage, and now they begin their quest to repeat as World Champions.

Phillies Rotation is Almost Ideal

The Phillies have to go with Ranger Suarez against Max Fried in Atlanta. That’s tough for the Phillies who don’t want to drop Game 1. Kyle Wright goes up against Zack Wheeler in Game 2 and Game 3 should be Aaron Nola and Charlie Morton. That’s solid for Philadelphia considering they played the last round. The Braves have an edge here in my opinion.

Braves Hitting on Par With Philadelphia 

The Phillies have Bryce Harper, who hit 18 while playing injured, and Kyle Schwarber, who was the home run champion of the NL with 46 – – those are their two biggest long-ball threats. The Braves fashion Austin Riley, who was fourth in the NL with 38, and Matt Olson 34, who was tenth. This stat is interesting. The Braves are 36-17 against the Phillies in their last 53 games at home. The Braves’ outfield defense could be a difference-maker as well. I see both teams winning at home.

Prediction: Braves win it at home 3-2.

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The Padres Won’t Travel Far to Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Dodgers have some amazing depth. The San Diego Padres have good starters, but they don’t have a Clayton Kershaw. I don’t love the Game 1 matchup of Mike Clevinger vs. Julio Urias to start it all off. That’s a massive edge to the Dodgers, and Kershaw goes Game 2. Tyler Anderson is the likely Game 3 starter for the Dodgers, and that’s where their depth is better than the Padres. Freddie Freeman is the x-factor here for the Dodgers. Last season, he hit .304 with five home runs and 11 RBI. Justin Turner has 13 playoff home runs.

Prediction: Dodgers win 3-1.

Broadcast Times Are Tough

If you are back to working in an office and not at home. Good luck watching the 1:07 PM Phillies game on Tuesday. What is that? Who can go to that game? Who can watch that game if you have to work? 4 PM would have been better. Maybe a 3 PM American League game, and you stagger them. True NL fans won’t be watching the AL games throughout. The Phillies’ second game is at 4:35, a bit better. The Dodgers-Padres games are at 8:37 PM, so workable for both coasts. Sometimes I don’t get these broadcast schedules. Enjoy the games!