Braves lean on Chris Sale in Wild-Card opener as Phillies patch together Game 1 pitching

The National League Wild-Card Series opens Tuesday afternoon at Truist Park, where the Atlanta Braves host the Philadelphia Phillies in a best-of-three matchup between division rivals. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on NBC, with clear skies and temperatures near 83 degrees expected.

The Braves enter as the No. 3 seed in the NL after winning their seventh division title in nine seasons. Atlanta holds a clear pitching advantage in Game 1, sending left-hander Chris Sale to the mound. The 2024 NL Cy Young Award winner posted a 14-9 record with a 2.16 ERA and 200 strikeouts this season, finishing third in MLB in ERA and fifth in WHIP at 0.98. In four starts against the Phillies this year, Sale went 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 29 strikeouts over 26 innings, holding Philadelphia batters to a .167 average.

Por que importa

Philadelphia will counter with a bullpen game. Left-hander Jesús Luzardo will serve as an opener after returning from the injured list Sunday. Luzardo, who went 14-5 with a 2.86 ERA this season, threw only four pitches in a brief appearance against Washington to stay sharp. Rookie right-hander Andrew Painter is expected to handle the bulk of the innings. Painter, a former top prospect, finished the regular season 3-10 with a 5.40 ERA but showed improvement in September with a 3.49 ERA across his final five starts.

Key facts

The Phillies secured the final NL Wild-Card spot on the last day of the regular season, snapping a six-game losing streak Sunday to edge past Arizona. Philadelphia became only the sixth team in MLB history to reach the postseason after a double-digit losing streak. The team used ace Zack Wheeler for most of Sunday’s game, ruling him out for the Wild-Card opener. Wheeler, who is from the Atlanta area, would have been the logical Game 1 starter.

Contexto

Philadelphia’s offense struggled through September, ranking 29th in batting average (.226), slugging percentage (.356), OPS (.660) and runs per game (3.71). Kyle Schwarber tied for the MLB lead with 45 home runs and hit five homers with 10 RBI against the Braves this season. Bryce Harper, the former NL MVP, is 2-for-21 with 11 strikeouts in his career against Sale.

Atlanta’s lineup performed well against Philadelphia pitching this season. Ronald Acuña Jr. hit .380 with four home runs and 10 RBI in the season series. Austin Riley added four homers and 11 RBI, while Michael Harris hit .419 with three home runs and nine RBI.

Sale’s playoff track record remains a question. In three postseason appearances, the left-hander is 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA across 34 1/3 innings. He has not pitched in the playoffs since 2021 with the Boston Red Sox. In seven career postseason starts, Sale has a 7.24 ERA and has failed to complete five innings in four of those outings.

Philadelphia placed trade acquisition Luis Arraez on the Wild-Card roster despite a sprained left ankle that sidelined him for the final three games of the regular season. Arraez, who finished second in the NL batting race at .310, hit .250 in seven games against Atlanta this year.

The Braves are listed as -199 favorites on the moneyline at DraftKings Sportsbook, drawing 79% of handle and 91% of bets. The total is set at 6.5 runs, with under action prevailing. On the series line, Atlanta is -125 and Philadelphia is +105. A Braves two-game sweep is priced at +210, while a Phillies sweep is +380.

Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday in Atlanta, with Cristopher Sanchez expected to start for the Phillies. The Braves have not announced a Game 2 starter. The winner of this series advances to the NL Division Series against the top-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers.

Source: CBS Sports MLB – https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/phillies-vs-braves-nl-wild-card-game-1-picks-atlanta-appears-to-have-major-pitching-edge-behind-chris-sale/