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The Philadelphia Phillies passed the first test, making quick work of the Miami Marlins to set up another date with an NL East foe. The Phillies swept the wild card series for the second consecutive season, giving them the right to play the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS. The Braves will once again host as division champions and the team with the best record in the league.
The two teams met in last year's NLDS under similar circumstances. The Phillies were riding high off their first round win while the Braves had just capped off one of the best second-half performances ever with a division crown. It was Philly who turned out victorious, beating the mighty Braves in four games and ending Atlanta's season in the blink of an eye.
This season the stakes are a little higher. The Braves set offensive records during the regular season en route to the second best record in franchise history. The Phillies are much better than they were a season ago when these two teams met yet the defending National League champions are still the underdogs.
If these things happen, the magic of Philadelphia in October will truly be alive and well.
3. Zack Wheeler continues to deliver
What separates the pretenders from the contenders in the MLB playoffs is starting pitching. The Phillies have some of the best starting pitching in the league and it starts with their ace Zack Wheeler. Wheeler tends to elevate his game in the postseason and he's done that in seven playoff starts with the Phillies.
In Game 1 of the wild card series, Wheeler nearly tossed seven brilliant innings but was pulled with two outs in the seventh. He struck out eight batters and allowed just one run, his third playoff game in which he's allowed one run or less. He allowed the Phillies to rest their bullpen and use only two arms and the win helped Philly earn two days off before the NLDS.
Wheeler will deliver more of the same in the NLDS. He'll be on five days rest when he takes the mound in Game 2 against the Braves. Wheeler lost his lone start against the Braves in the playoffs last season, allowing three runs in six innings. He's undefeated in three starts against the Braves this season, recording a 3.32 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 19 innings.
If the series goes the distance, Wheeler would be in line to start Games 2 and 5. That should be an advantage for the Phillies but it also depends on what they do in the other three games. If Zack Wheeler does what he does best, Philadelphia should have no problem getting past the Braves. Expect more pitching brilliance from Wheeler.
2. Bryce Harper heats up
Few players can carry a team and boost its momentum with one moment quite like Bryce Harper. The Phillies slugger has put together several otherworldly performances and there's no reason to believe he won’t do it again this postseason. After all, rivalry games do tend to bring out the best in players.
Harper was insane last October, recording a 1.160 OPS, six home runs and seven doubles during the Phillies' run to the World Series. He was 8-for-16 with two home runs and five RBIs against the Braves in last year's NLDS, carrying Philadelphia to the NLCS. He has a .976 OPS in 13 games versus Atlanta in 2023.
Something clicks for Harper when he plays in front of the Philadelphia crowd. He'll only get two games at home during this series, but that may be enough for the two-time MVP to make his mark on this year's NLDS.
Harper is as good a lock as any to do more damage and come up with more clutch hits for the Phillies. There's going to be some heroics in this series if the Phillies want to pull off the upset and who better to provide them than Bryce Harper? The power-hitting lefty will launch multiple home runs at timely moments and revive the Phillies each time the ball leaves his bat.
1. Deja vu all over again for the Phils
It's not often that lightning strikes twice but that's just what might be in store for the Phillies in this series. Entering the best-of-five set as the underdog, the Phillies might not have much to lose in a lot of people's eyes, but this team definitely has a chip on its shoulder and wants to prove last season's pennant run wasn’t a fluke.
Though the Braves won 14 more games than the Phillies did during the regular season, Atlanta is not that much better than Philadelphia. The Braves did win the season series eight games to five but the Phillies have momentum coming off the wild card victory. Those circumstances could have played a factor in Philadelphia's triumph in four games over Atlanta last October.
The Phillies have the pitching advantage and the offense to hang around with the Braves' record-setting lineup. Atlanta led the league in almost every major offensive category but Philadelphia wasn’t far off and is already heating up in the playoffs. Being without Charlie Morton and having Max Fried pitch as he still heals from a blister plays to Philadelphia.
The key will be winning one of the first two games in Atlanta. Philadelphia did that in Game 1 last year before taking the series in four games. This series has all the makings to go the distance, but the Phillies can very well make sure it doesn’t go back to Atlanta.
It'll be a series very similar to last season and the Phillies will win in five games, pulling off yet another upset over the Braves.
