Braves, Phillies Set for Saturday Showdown After Blowout

PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — The Atlanta Braves will look to build on a dominant series-opening win when they face the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.

First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. EDT under cloudy skies with a game-time temperature of 73 degrees.

The Braves (13-7) routed the Phillies 9-0 on Friday behind six shutout innings from Martín Pérez and a two-homer, four-RBI night from Austin Riley. Atlanta has won seven of its last 10.

Philadelphia (8-11) has dropped four of its last five and was shut out for the third time this season in the opener.

The pitching matchup features a pair of left-handers. Atlanta’s Chris Sale (3-1) will take the mound against Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sánchez (2-1).

A player to watch for Atlanta is Pérez, who, despite a 1-3 record, has allowed one earned run or fewer in three of his five starts, including Friday’s gem. For Philadelphia, reliever Tim Mayza will be a key figure; he has been scored upon in only two of his nine appearances this season, though one was a three-run outing against the Cubs on April 14.

Statistical projections present a conflicting outlook. Interstat’s game simulator predicts a 5-2 Braves victory. However, the same outlet’s ELO system gives the Phillies a 54.4% probability to win. Philadelphia has been installed as a -1.5 run favorite, with an over/under of 7 runs.

This game is the second of a three-game set. The series concludes Sunday before the teams meet again for a three-game series in Atlanta next weekend.