Atlanta out for payback in series vs. Philadelphia
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves walked off the field a year ago a thoroughly beaten team, their defense of the World Series championship wiped out in less than a week.
Now, they’ve got another shot at the team that delivered the playoff heartache.
The 104-win Braves romped to their sixth consecutive division title with the major leagues’ best record and a power-packed lineup that tied the major league record with 307 home runs.
They open the best-of-five National League division series tonight against the Philadelphia Phillies in a much-anticipated postseason rematch.
“A really cool series on paper, right?” Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber said before a workout at Truist Park. “I’m sure a lot of people wish that this could be a seven-game series.”
Led by MVP favorite Ronald Acuna Jr., the first player with 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases in a season, the Braves are eager to replicate their run to the World Series championship in 2021.
They’d prefer to forget what happened last October.
After finishing 14 games behind Atlanta during the regular season, the Phillies stunned the Braves in the NLDS.
It wasn’t that close, either. After splitting the first two games in Atlanta, the Phillies finished off the series by winning the final two on their home field by a combined 17-4.
Philadelphia’s upset of the Braves was part of an improbable postseason run that didn’t end until the World Series, when the Phillies finally ran out of steam in a loss to the Houston Astros.
They are determined to finish the job in 2023, and certainly looked up to the task by making quick work of Miami in the wild card round.
Philadelphia swept the upstart Marlins by scores of 4-1 and 7-1, the clincher capped by Bryson Stott’s grand slam.
“Experience is key to a lot of things,” Schwarber said. “When you’re able to draw back on experience and you’re able to lean on experience, that’s going to be huge.”
In an effort to maintain their edge while sitting out a first-round bye, the Braves — who won the season series with the Phillies 8-5 — played three intrasquad games at Truist Park.
They hope the change in tactics will lead to a sharper performance against the Phillies this time around.
ACUNA’S BIG MOMENT
After his historic season, Acuna is eager to shine in the playoffs — especially since he missed out on Atlanta’s World Series title two years ago.
Acuna went down with a season-ending knee injury in 2021, and didn’t make much of an impact in last year’s NLDS.
The Braves are expecting more this time around. A lot more.
“He’s going to be a big, huge part of it,” teammate Ozzie Albies said. “He is the guy that sets the tone as the leadoff guy. So it’s gonna be fun to see what he can do this year.”
Acuna has plenty of help behind him in the batting order.
Matt Olson set franchise records with 54 home runs and 139 RBI. Marcell Ozuna bounced back from an awful start to hit 40 home runs with 100 RBI. Albies had 33 home runs and 109 RBI, while Austin Riley chipped in with 37 home runs and 97 RBI.
STRIDER’S STRIKEOUTS
Olson wasn’t the only Atlanta player to set a new franchise standard.
Expected Game 1 starter Spencer Strider broke John Smoltz’s record for strikeouts, leading the majors with 281 Ks in 186 2/3 innings.
The 24-year-old righthander is also the major leagues’ only 20-game winner, finishing with a 20-5 mark.
“It’s just power,” Phillies Manager Rob Thomson said of Strider’s makeup. “He’s a bear to handle at times.”