David Buchanan (2-7, 9.00 ERA) and Julio Teheran (9-7, 4.51 ERA) start in the last of a three-game series between the Philadelphia Phillies (53-85) and the Atlanta Braves (55-83) at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies won the last game 5-0 and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 7:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Sep. 9 and can be seen on CSPh and SPSO.
Buchanan pitched 1.2 innings in his last outing, surrendering 11 runs, striking out one and walking two in a 13-1 defeat to the Diamondbacks. Jeff Francoeur (.270, 32 Rs, 12 HRs, 43 RBIs) went 1 for 1 yesterday with one run. Teheran went 6.0 innings, surrendering one run, striking out four and walking four in a 5-2 defeat to the Nationals in his most recent start. Juan Uribe (.249, 35 Rs, 13 HRs, 38 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday.
Atlanta takes on Philadelphia as a -130 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at eight runs. The Phillies have recorded an overall money line of -957 and have shown a weak performance as an underdog this season with a record of 48-77. Philadelphia has had a discouraging season against division opponents, earning records of 19-31 and 22-34 as the underdog and SU respectively. Philadelphia’s pitchers put it all together when division rivals are on the field. Its average runs allowed per game drops to 4.6 against fellow NL East members, compared to its 5.2 season average.
In games where it is the favorite, Atlanta has a 14-14 record and an overall money line of -1,894. They have been on a bit of a dry streak over their last 10 games, recording zero wins when playing as the favorite and with an SU record of 1-9. The Braves have a dynamic offense, leading the league with 324 extra base hits. Atlanta is excellent at not striking out with an NL-low 6.9 per game. The Braves allow 4.8 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 7.9 runs per game during that span.
The Phillies lead the season series, 8-7. The Phillies have a 40-66 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Teheran takes the mound. Buchanan (LHP) will be on the hill against the Braves, who have inferior records against left-handed starting pitchers on the road and overall of 4-9 and 9-17, respectively.
Predictions: SU Winner – Atl, O/U – Under
Notes
After last game’s shutout win against the Atlanta, the Phillies now have five shutouts this season. The Braves have been shut out in 13 games this season.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Phillies are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Braves have a 6-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they are outhit, the Braves are 10-59. The Phillies have an 18-64 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 30th in home runs, Atlanta has hit 85 this season. Philadelphia ranks 28th with 107 home runs.
Ranking 11th, Atlanta is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.42 per game. Philadelphia ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 8.66.
Ranking 30th, Atlanta is at the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.674). Philadelphia ranks near the bottom at 27th with an OPS of .690.
When the Braves allow at least one home run, they are 22-61, well-matched with the Phillies who are 25-64 when allowing at least one homer.
