The Philadelphia Phillies are heading to the National League Division Series for the first time since 2011 after sweeping the Miami Marlins in the Wild Card Series. The Phillies won the best-of-three series with a 3-0 victory in Game 3 on Wednesday night.
The Phillies, who finished the regular season 28-32, were the lowest-seeded team in the playoffs. But they showed their mettle in the Wild Card Series, outscoring the Marlins 14-3 in the three games.
The Phillies will now face the MLB-best Atlanta Braves in the NLDS. The Braves won the NL East with a 35-25 record and are the top seed in the NL playoffs. The two teams faced off in the NLDS in 2018, with the Braves winning in four games.
The Phillies will have to find a way to solve the Braves’ formidable pitching staff if they want to advance to the NLCS. The Braves led MLB in ERA (3.46) and WHIP (1.12) during the regular season, and their starters had a combined 2.80 ERA.
The Phillies will also need to find a way to get to Braves’ ace Max Fried, who had a 2.25 ERA and 0.98 WHIP during the regular season. Fried was dominant against the Phillies this season, allowing just two runs in 18 innings over three starts.
The Phillies will need to put together a complete effort if they want to advance past the Braves. They will need their offense to score runs, their bullpen to shut down opponents late in games, and their starting pitchers to keep them in games long enough for their offense to do its job.
The Phillies have shown they can compete with the best teams in baseball this season, and they will have a chance to prove it again when they face off against the Braves in the NLDS. It should be an exciting series, and one that could potentially send the Phillies back to the NLCS for the first time since 2009.
