Officially clinching the NL East will have to wait at least one more day for the Atlanta Braves. After splitting the doubleheader with the Phillies on Monday, the Braves will look to drop their magic number for the division title to two on Tuesday.
Max Fried will take the mound for the Braves and Zack Wheeler for the Phillies. Fried is coming off of a start where he allowed three runs across six innings and picked up a win.
Wheeler's last time out was a dominant performance against the Padres where he only allowed one hit in his six innings pitched and struck out seven. Tuesday will feature two high-powered offenses facing two pitchers who are rolling. Here are three things to watch for in this matchup.
1. Ronald Acuna Jr. MVP Push
Ronald Acuna Jr. has a legitimate chance to surpass his already historic season. Earlier this season, Acuna became the first player ever to record 30+ home runs and 60+ stolen bases in the same year. As his current stats sit, Ronald is likely to reach 40+ home runs and 70+ stolen bases before the end of the 2023 MLB regular season.
2. Matt Olson Tying Andruw Jones
Matt Olson hit his 50th home run of the season last night. He is only the second player in franchise history to accomplish this feat. Andruw Jones hit 51 home runs back in 2005, the most by a Braves player in a single season.
Olson is now just one swing from tying this record and two away from breaking it. We all know that he is more than capable of hitting two more homers on Tuesday since he just hit two on Monday alone.
3. Max Fried Getting Playoff Ready
Max Fried missed a big chunk of the 2023 regular season due to injury. Thankfully, losing their ace did not stop the Braves from dominating the league. Atlanta will need him to make a run in the postseason.
The way Fried has been pitching as of late has been encouraging. He will look to slow down the Phillies offense which has been on a tear. Tuesday will be a good indication of how good Fried's stuff currently is and show if he is ready to perform in the postseason.
Pitching Matchup
ATL: Max Fried (7-1, 2.70 ERA) vs. PHI: Zack Wheeler (11-6, 3.49 ERA)
TV/Radio
BSSO/680 AM The Fan
Game Info
Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
Location: Citizens Bank Park