ATLANTA — Four days after they last saw each other, the Phillies and Braves have come face to face yet again.
Because of a scheduling quirk, the regular season matchups between the National League East rivals this year have been condensed within two weeks in April and 10 days in September.
Interim manager Don Mattingly, for one, doesn’t mind it.
“I kind of like the back-to-backs, especially planning-wise. You just saw them for four games. You get a couple days off, and you go again,” he said. “So I kind of like it. It’s always better if you’re playing good. The first time we saw them, we weren’t playing good. They were playing really good. Same with the Cubs. Kind of caught them on fire. We were kind of struggling, right in the same little period of time.”
The Phillies entered Friday’s series opener trailing Atlanta by four games for the division lead — exactly where they were at the start of the previous series, which they split. Taking at least two of three games this weekend at Truist Park is essential for the Phillies to remain in contention for the NL East.
Because of the scheduling, the Phillies just saw all three Braves pitchers planned to start this series: Chris Sale, Tyler Mahle, and Grant Holmes. On the other hand, the Braves just faced Friday starter Aaron Nola and Saturday starter Jesús Luzardo, who shut them out in his last outing. They missed Andrew Painter, who will take the ball on Sunday.
There are advantages and drawbacks for both pitchers and hitters seeing each other in quick succession.
“It kind of works both ways,” Mattingly said. “It’s like the cat and mouse game goes on and on. Like, how you pitched them last time, how did you get them out? Did you get them out? Did they hit you? What do you feel like they’re looking for? As a hitter, did he get me out? Is he going to go back there? It’s just back and forth.”
Marsh and Marchán OK
As expected, neither Brandon Marsh nor catcher Rafael Marchán were in the Phillies’ lineup Friday against Sale, but both of them are healthy after sustaining some bruises in Thursday’s day game.
Marsh exited the series finale against the Astros with a bruised foot after fouling a ball off it in the bottom of the eighth inning. Marchán bunted a ball off his helmet in the sixth inning, though he remained in the game.
With lefty Sale on the mound for Atlanta, the Phillies stacked right-handers in Friday’s lineup. Bryan De La Cruz started in left field and Derek Hill started in center, while Edmundo Sosa took over for Bryson Stott at third.
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J.T. Realmuto was back behind the plate after a planned day off Thursday.
Keller stops by
Brad Keller still has a ways to go in his recovery and rehab from the Tommy John surgery he underwent on July 29 to repair a torn UCL. But he has a locker in the visitor’s clubhouse in Atlanta this week and was there Friday catching up with his teammates.
Keller, who is based in Georgia, is taking the opportunity to be back around the team for the three games this series. Before his injury, he was a key part of the bullpen mix and signed a two-year, $22 million deal to be the Phillies’ setup man this offseason. Since Keller’s season ended, Jonathan Bowlan often has filled that role, but has struggled lately with a 6.23 ERA in four appearances in September.
Outfielder Adolis García, who suffered a season-ending lat tear in June, was also back around the team during their last homestand.
“It’s good to see guys that were a big part of what we were doing and had the injury, for him to come around. It’s kind of like [García],” Mattingly said. “It was the same way. To have those guys around, it feels good. Because sometimes I think when you’re on that, where you’re gone for a little bit of time, you feel like you’re not part of it anymore, and it’s just not a great feeling. So it’s good to have those guys come back around.”
Extra bases
Luzardo (14-5, 2.87 ERA) is scheduled to start opposite Braves right-hander Mahle (5-10, 4.05 ERA) on Saturday. In his last start, he limited Atlanta to two hits in his first career shutout.
The Phillies and Braves are set to square off again this weekend in Atlanta, so it’s the perfect time to check in with Jeff Francoeur, who played for both teams and calls Braves games on TV and radio. Francoeur joined Phillies Extra to help break down the race for NL East supremacy. Watch here.
You can also subscribe to the podcast version of Phillies Extra on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
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