Braves at Phillies
The Atlanta Braves open a four-game series Friday at the Philadelphia Phillies, but one of the rebuilding team’s cornerstones will not be there. Atlanta sent slumping rookie shortstop Dansby Swanson to Triple-A Gwinnett after Wednesday’s 10-3 loss at Arizona, hoping he can get regular playing time after a 2-for-40 slump found the 23-year-old spending most of his time on the bench in favor of the hot-hitting Johan Camargo.
Atlanta is 3-4 on its current 11-game road trip and the bullpen is struggling, as Braves relievers enter the series with a 6.75 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP in 68 innings this month. Philadelphia owns baseball’s worst record and is 23-52 since starting the season 12-12, but has won six of its past 10 and leads the season series with the Braves 5-2. Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp is red hot in his past 13 games, hitting .357 with four homers and eight RBIs after belting a pair of two-run homers in Wednesday’s 9-0 victory over the Astros. Philadelphia dealt reliever Pat Neshek to Colorado before the game, and hope another trade candidate - veteran Howie Kendrick - is healthy after he was hit with a pitch in the left hand in the third inning.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FSN South (Atlanta), CSN Philadelphia
PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves RH Julio Teheran (7-8, 4.67 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Jeremy Hellickson (6-5, 4.73)
Atlanta continues to seek consistency from Teheran, whose ERA is nearly 1 ½ runs higher than it was a year ago while his strikeouts-to-walks ratio of 1.91 is a far cry from last season’s 4.07 mark. He has lost his past two starts, giving up four runs (three earned) and allowing three homers in 6 1/3 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 22. The 26-year-old, who is 6-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 10 away starts, is 7-4 with a 2.79 ERA in 15 career appearances against the Phillies.
Hellickson has faded since starting the season 5-1, winning just once in his past 11 starts while posting a 5.74 ERA and allowing a .288 opponents’ batting average. The 30-year-old gave up six runs on seven hits over five innings in a no-decision July 22 against Milwaukee, six days after he beat the Brewers in giving up two runs on four hits. Hellickson won his only start of the season against the Braves on April 21 in Philadelphia, limiting Atlanta to two runs on three hits with no walks and five strikeouts in seven innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Philadelphia CF Odubel Herrera has reached base in 24 of his past 52 plate appearances across his last 13 games, but did not start Wednesday after being pulled from Tuesday’s game for not running on a dropped third strike.
2. Atlanta RF Nick Markakis recorded his 1,991st career hit with a RBI single in the eighth inning Wednesday.
3. The Phillies swept the Braves at home April 21-23, winning twice by one run, while the two teams split a four-game set June 5-8 in Atlanta.