Phillies vs Braves Game 2 Preview
After a thrilling opening day, the Phillies will be back at it again. They are playing the second game out of the three-game series against the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies had off yesterday and I am sure I am not the only one who went through Phillie's baseball withdrawal when they didn't play.
The Phillies took a 3-2 victory over the Braves after Jean Segura hit a bouncer that just got over the head of the 3rd baseman Austin Riley, to bring in Bryce Harper for the game-winning run in extra innings. Aaron Nola pitched a gem of a game before his only mistake; a pitch that flattened out in the middle of the zone for Braves pinch hitter Pablo Sandoval. He did not miss the pitch as he hit a bomb into the 2nd deck of Citizens Bank Park that traveled 406 feet. He would supply the only offense for the Braves.
The Phillies will have Zack Wheeler take the mound for the second game of this series. Zack is coming off of a great first season for the Phillies. He was a much-needed starter for this organization last year; he went 4 and 2 last season with a 2.92 earned run average (ERA). He put the Phillies in a position to win a lot of games he started, however, the Phillies would just find a way to blow the lead.
Zack has great velocity on his pitches with his fastball reaching as high as 100 miles per hour (MPH) and a killer slider that makes hitters look silly. If Zack can mix his killer fastball with his slider and fool hitters with his curveball and keep the pitch count down, he will be in for an easy afternoon of pitching.
On the opposite side of the diamond, we see a familiar face, Charlie Morton. Morton wore a Phillies uniform back in 2016. He only played in 4 games for the Phillies due to an injury he sustained running to first base. We would never see him pitch in a Phillies uniform ever again.
Since that injury, Morton has won a World Series and was an All-Star. Now he is back but in a Braves uniform. Morton holds a variety of ways to retire batters. Morton does have some velocity to his pitches but his 5 pitch arsenal is what really puts him in good positions to get batters out. He has a lot of ways to throw a fastball with a 4 seam, cutter, and sinker all in his arsenal. The movement on his pitches really fools hitters and then will break out his curveball which will derail the timing of hitters.
The Phillies need to get Morton's pitch count up quickly just like they did Thursday with Fried and make him work. The Phillies need to make sure Morton can not get into a rhythm. It is important for the Phillies to strike early and hit some home runs, granted the wind was a factor on Thursday but it is time for the Phillies bats to come alive. They need to provide a little more offense for their starting pitcher.
Overall, if the Phillies play some incredible defense like they did on Thursday and can get the bats going, I see them winning this game with a final score of 7-2. The Phillies currently hold the first spot in the National League East Division with a current record of 1-0.
Game Time: 4:05pm
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia+/ FS1
Listen: 94.1 WIP
Follow: @PHISportsToday on Twitter for in-game updates