The pressure is mounting: Preview of the Phillies vs. Braves series

Despite Wednesday’s awkward events, the Phillies have been playing better of late, winning two consecutive series against teams likely to make the playoffs, and the two losses in those series came in games started by beleaguered fifth starter Taijuan Walker.

That sets the stage for this weekend’s four games against the Phillies’ division rivals, the Atlanta Braves. With the teams separated by five games in the standings, this presents a great opportunity for the Phillies to displace the Braves in the standings…or for the Braves to make the race for the division title a close one.

Atlanta Braves

Record: 73-60, Second place in the National League East (Five games back)

The last time they met

The Phillies visited Atlanta last week but didn’t bring their bats with them. They scored a total of six runs in the three games and were lucky to get a single win in the middle game.

Since?

The Braves are in top form, winning five of six games since that series, including a sweep of the Twins. They have beaten the Twins pitchers to death, scoring 23 runs in the three-game series.

Boo, this man

I may need to rename this section the “Whit Merrifield Award.”

You may remember Merrifield as the left-handed, All-Star all-rounder the Phillies signed in the offseason. You may also remember that he spent most of his three-plus month career with the Phillies not hitting the baseball very effectively.

It’s possible that Merrifield was a sin eater of sorts, because despite his lack of contribution, the Phillies performed much better with him on the roster. They were 60-32 with him on the roster and just 18-23 since his release. (Remember, correlation always equals causation!)

The Braves brought him back from the scrap heap and of course he rediscovered how to hit the ball. He has posted an OPS of .856 over the last two weeks and was a key contributor to the Braves’ recent wins over the Phillies.

By almost all accounts, Merrifield is a good guy and has tried really hard during his time with the Phillies, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from booing him this weekend.

And boo this man too; if possible even harder

As I said, Merrifield at least seems like a nice guy. On the other hand, Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna has done some very shabby things in recent years. I know domestic violence has never been a reason for Braves fans to root for anyone, but it’s a little odd how the national commentators have praised him.

Ozuna is competing for the Triple Crown this season, which could potentially earn him National League MVP honors, and for the good of society, the Phillies pitching staff needs to shut him down this weekend and dash those hopes.

Just a friendly reminder

Speaking of the Phillies’ pitching staff, unless something goes completely out of control, Taijuan Walker will not pitch in this series.

As for the guys who will be pitching

The Phillies will have their top four starters in this series: Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. Plus, the bullpen is pretty well rested thanks to Nola and Walker’s good performances in the last two games (they weren’t great innings, but damn, he ate them up!).

No surprises here

Neither lineup should be surprised by the opposing starters. The Braves’ projected starters are Reynaldo Lopez, Max Fried and Spencer Schwellenbach, each of whom has made multiple starts against the Phillies in this series, including last week. The opener goes to Charlie Morton, who the Phillies have not played this season but who has made 12 starts against them over the past three seasons.

The Phillies’ hitters barely showed much in the last series, scoring just six runs without hitting a home run. The Phillies suffered a lot of offensive miscues in the second half, so that’s not particularly surprising, but hopefully they’ve healed their weaknesses. Aside from Wednesday’s poor performance, the last two series have been better offensively, so hopefully they can get a miscue or two this time around.

Non-Phillies thought

Although it seems way too early for August, grocery stores are already in full swing for Halloween season. And with the Halloween season comes the return of Monster Cereals!

In recent years, in addition to the standard varieties Count Chocula, Franken Berry and Boo Berry, there have also been Monster Mash, a combination of these three, as well as the long-forgotten varieties Fruit Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy.

Last year, they introduced a new monster to the mix: Carmella Creeper, another Frankenstein pastiche whose cereal contained “caramel apples.”

As I scanned this year’s exhibit, I noticed that Monster Mash was gone, replaced by Monsters’ Frightful Friends. And look at this:

Carmella is now getting star treatment while Fruit Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy are nowhere to be found. I don’t know if this is a Patty Scialfa situation and she has become friends with the Count, but it seems suspicious. Has anyone asked Brute or Mummy for comment?

Final thought

The doomers may think otherwise, but the Braves are under pressure this weekend. Five games may not seem like much of a gap between the teams, but as we approach the final month of the season, there isn’t much time to close the gap. If the Phillies can get away with a tie in this series, it will be a win for them, as the Braves now have four fewer games to close the gap and no head-to-head matchups left. (MLB really needs to put more emphasis on divisional matchups in September.)

But I wouldn’t be happy with a split. The Phillies are healthy and have their top four starters in action. They need to win the series, extend their lead in the division, and the Braves need to figure out how to set up their rotation for the Wild Card series.