The Braves find themselves in very familiar territory compared to where they were last season at this time. They're down 0-1 to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS. Will the rest of this series play out like last year's, with the Braves being sent home early? Or will Atlanta prove why they were the best team in baseball all season?
Going back to last year's NLDS, the Braves have now been outscored by the Phillies 27-13 in five games. Game 1 of the 2023 series was the second shutout between the two teams, although it was the Braves handing their NL East rival a 3-0 loss in Game 2 of last year's matchup. The Braves will certainly be hoping they can do that in this year's NLDS Game 2.
The Phillies are becoming quite the albatross for the Braves in the postseason. They're taking the Braves' advantage and making it a disadvantage. Atlanta has been the NL East division winners for the last six straight seasons, but the last two, they were 100-plus game winners, a National League two-seed in the MLB Playoffs last season while number one this season. And yet the Phillies, who have had to scratch and claw their way to get into the Wild Card series the past two seasons, winning 87 and 90 games, have played the role of spoilers. They keep playing while the Braves are resting.
So how do the Braves rectify this and avoid another season of great expectations being shattered in three games?
Capitalize with RISP
The Braves didn't have the worst game in Game 1 of the NLDS. For one, they could have had worse pitching, which has been suspect down the stretch from Spencer Strider and the bullpen. Their biggest weakness was their greatest strength from the regular season: offense.
They were completely shut out for only the third time this season and the first time at home since August 28, 2021. It wasn't like Atlanta didn't have their opportunities. They left seven on base and were 0-5 with RISP.
I've harped all season long that the Braves couldn't survive on just the long ball when it came to the postseason. They are going to have to string together runs if they want not only to win Game 2 but this series. Swinging for the fences isn't going to be the answer.
Max effort from Max Fried
The Braves are going to need the Max Fried of Game 6 of the 2021 World Series, not the Game 2 version who gave up six earned runs on seven hits. That may be asking a lot of Fried, who has been on and off the injured list this season and is just coming off of it again with a blistered finger, but the Braves are going to need him at his best in Game 2.
Anything is possible in baseball, but winning multiple games in Philadelphia is next to impossible. The Phillies were 6-2 in last year's postseason, losing both to the Houston Astros in the World Series. If the Braves go in 0-2 to Philadelphia, you're asking them to then win three straight with two being in Philadelphia. If there's a team that could do it, it's probably Atlanta, but those are less than ideal circumstances. The Braves need a win in Game 2, and that happens with Fried getting six or seven quality innings.
Where's the NL MVP?
Ronald Acuna Jr. was nothing short of sensational this season, to the point where you feel like he lived up to every single expectation ever expected of him. He is the unofficial NL MVP, just awaiting the award announcements later on. But like the rest of this impressive Braves team this season, it may feel a little less than if Atlanta is put out in the NLDS, and if they could be swept, it will be even worse.
In four plate appearances in Game 1, Acuna was 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. In Game 2, the Phillies will be starting Zack Wheeler, who was 2-0 with a 3.32 ERA with 21 strikeouts in three appearances this year against the Braves. Acuna has solid numbers against the right-hander, though. He's 11-for-44 with four homers and seven RBIs in 45 plate appearances in his career against Wheeler, according to StatMuse.
It's time for the soon-to-be NL MVP to put up similar, if not better, numbers and propel the Braves to a win in Game 2 of the NLDS.
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