Shortly after the Philadelphia Phillies finished off the overmatched Miami Marlins in the best-of-three wild-card round of the National League playoffs Wednesday night, Major League Baseball released a social media post declaring the "Phillies Revenge Tour begins with sweep."
If the Phillies are out for revenge, what are the Atlanta Braves playing for? If revenge is really a theme of this postseason — especially in the upcoming NL Division Series between Atlanta and Philadelphia — the boys from Dixie certainly own it.
It was just a year ago, remember, when the Phillies went all Gen. Sherman on the highly favored Braves and scorched them in four games in an NLDS. While that beatdown — which included losses of 9-1 and 8-3 for the Braves in the final two games — shouldn't matter when the two begin another best-of-five series at 6:08 p.m. Saturday at Truist Park, if you're a Braves fan, you hope it does.
The Phillies rode a wave of emotion to eliminate Atlanta (then went on to win the NL pennant before falling short against the Houston Astros in the World Series), and they did the same this week to put the Marlins away, winning 4-1 Tuesday and 7-1 Wednesday. The Braves appeared flat (or tired) in last year's NLDS after having to surge late in the regular season to beat the New York Mets for the NL East Division title.
To turn the tables this year, the Braves — and their fans — must at least match the opposition's energy. It's an area the team too often lacked in past postseason flops, for whatever reason, but it's hard to believe motivation will be an issue this time around.
That's just one of the keys if the Braves are going to start their own revenge tour on the right note. Here are a couple others:
Win Game 1.
Duh, right? Lose the game, as they did last year, and this short series is likely over. To do that, Spencer Strider has to be, well, Spencer Strider. Whether the Phillies go with Aaron Nola or Ranger Suarez, it won't matter if Strider deals.
Braves fans need to show up early and raise a little hell. Let Bryce Harper know right away where he stands. When Ronald Acuña Jr. gets on base, let him run. Heck, make him run. Same with Ozzie Albies (who missed last year's debacle) and Michael Harris II.
Atlanta manager Brian Snitker needs to be the aggressor in this series — starting in the first inning Saturday — and not just sit back and wait for home runs.
Put the ball in play.
The Braves struck out an unsightly 43 times in 35 innings versus the Phils during their 2022 NLDS. They've cut down on the Ks this season, and it's imperative to maintain that approach, because the Phillies rate as having one of the poorest defenses in the game.
They rank 23rd in defensive runs saved (the Braves rank 15th) and have negative ratings at six positions, including the corner outfield spots, shortstop, third base and catcher.
Be proactive with the bullpen.
Snitker and his staff can't afford to anoint a certain pitcher with a certain inning and not have a backup plan. The 'pen in last year's NLDS was blistered by the Phils. There's nothing wrong with warming up multiple guys to get through one inning.
Don't let Harper be the hero.
The Phillies have some good sticks, but Harper is the alpha. If the Braves can pitch around him with runners on base, they have to do it. Alas, that's not Snitker's way, and Harper has already burned them this season. Oh, and he was 8-for-16 with two homers and three doubles in last year's NLDS.
Atlanta needs some mound magic.
This comes after failing to make any impactful pitching additions before the trade deadline and regressing over the final two months of the regular season. No one expects the Phillies to be shut down offensively — and frankly, the Braves shouldn't have to win 1-0 games against anyone — but Atlanta's starters have to avoid giving up big innings.
The bottom of the Philadelphia lineup is far from imposing, so there are outs to be found. Limit the damage and rely on the bats to come through.
Strider, coming off a 20-win regular season, should be good to start two games if needed. Left-hander Max Fried's recurring blister is a concern, as are late-season struggles for fellow starters Charlie Morton and Bryce Elder. Add Kyle Wright to the mix, though, and Snitker should be able to get at least two good starts from any combination of those four.
The Braves are the better team, have been all season, and are much more dangerous than last October. Acuña, now fully healthy, is the game's most disruptive force. Albies didn't play in the postseason last year, Marcell Ozuna was a nonfactor, and Austin Riley and Harris surely won't repeat last year's 2-for-29 performance at the plate.
And, let's hope, a major intangible is on Atlanta's side.
Revenge tour indeed.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com.
AP photo by Matt Slocum / Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider walks away from the mound after being taken out during the third inning of Game 3 of an NL Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Oct. 14, 2022. Strider was charged with five earned runs in 2 1/3 innings as the Braves lost 9-1 that day, and the Phillies went on to win the best-of-five series in four games.2023 MLB PLAYOFFS
All times Eastern; x-if necessary
WILD-CARD SERIES
(Best-of-3)
American League
No. 3 Minnesota Twins 2, No. 6 Toronto Blue Jays 0
Tuesday, Oct. 3: Minnesota 3, Toronto 1
Wednesday, Oct. 4: Minnesota 2, Toronto 0
No. 5 Texas Rangers 2, No. 4 Tampa Bay Rays 0
Tuesday, Oct. 3: Texas 4, Tampa Bay 0
Wednesday, Oct. 4: Texas 7, Tampa Bay 1
National League
No. 6 Arizona Diamondbacks 2, No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers 0
Tuesday, Oct. 3: Arizona 6, Milwaukee 3
Wednesday, Oct. 4: Arizona 5, Milwaukee 2
No. 4 Philadelphia Phillies 2, No. 5 Miami Marlins 0
Tuesday, Oct. 3: Philadelphia 4, Miami 1
Wednesday, Oct. 4: Philadelphia 7, Miami 1
DIVISION SERIES
(Best-of-5)
American League
No. 1 Baltimore Orioles vs. No. 5 Texas
Saturday, Oct. 7: Texas at Baltimore, 1:03 p.m. (FS1)
Sunday, Oct. 8: Texas at Baltimore, 4:07 p.m. (FS1)
Tuesday, Oct. 10: Baltimore at Texas, 8:03 p.m.
x-Wednesday, Oct. 11: Baltimore at Texas, TBD
x-Friday, Oct. 13: Texas at Baltimore, TBD
No. 2 Houston Astros vs. No. 3 Minnesota
Saturday, Oct. 7: Minnesota at Houston, 4:45 p.m. (FS1)
Sunday, Oct. 8: Minnesota at Houston, 8:03 p.m. (FS1)
Tuesday, Oct. 10: Houston at Minnesota, 4:07 p.m.
x-Wednesday, Oct. 11: Houston at Minnesota, TBD
x-Friday, Oct. 13: Minnesota at Houston, TBD
National League
No. 1 Atlanta Braves vs. No. 4 Philadelphia
Saturday, Oct. 7: Philadelphia at Atlanta, 6:07 p.m. (TBS)
Monday, Oct. 9: Philadelphia at Atlanta, 6:07 p.m. (TBS)
Wednesday, Oct. 11: Atlanta at Philadelphia, TBD
x-Thursday, Oct. 12: Atlanta at Philadelphia, TBD
x-Saturday, Oct. 14: Philadelphia at Atlanta, TBD
No. 2 Los Angeles vs. No. 6 Arizona
Saturday, Oct. 7: Arizona at Los Angeles, 9:20 p.m. (TBS)
Monday, Oct. 9: Arizona at Los Angeles, 9:07 p.m. (TBS)
Wednesday, Oct. 11: Los Angeles at Arizona, TBD
x-Thursday, Oct. 12: Los Angeles at Arizona, TBD
x-Saturday, Oct. 14: Arizona at Los Angeles, TBD
LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
(Best-of-7)
American League
All games on Fox or FS1
Sunday, Oct. 15: ALDS winners, TBD
Monday, Oct. 16: ALDS winners, TBD
Wednesday, Oct. 18: ALDS winners, TBD
Thursday, Oct. 19: ALDS winners, TBD
x-Friday, Oct. 20: ALDS winners, TBD
x-Sunday, Oct. 22: ALDS winners, TBD
x-Monday, Oct. 23: ALDS winners, TBD
National League
All games on TBS
Monday, Oct. 16: NLDS winners, TBD
Tuesday, Oct. 17: NLDS winners, TBD
Thursday, Oct. 19: NLDS winners, TBD
Friday, Oct. 20: NLDS winners, TBD
x-Saturday, Oct. 21: NLDS winners, TBD
x-Monday, Oct. 23: NLDS winners, TBD
x-Tuesday, Oct. 24: NLDS winners, TBD
WORLD SERIES
(Best-of-7)
All Games on Fox
Friday, Oct. 27: AL champion vs. NL champion, TBD
Saturday, Oct. 28: AL champion vs. NL champion, TBD
Monday, Oct. 30: AL champion vs. NL champion, TBD
Tuesday, Oct. 31: AL champion vs. NL champion, TBD
x-Wednesday, Nov. 1: AL champion vs. NL champion, TBD
x-Friday, Nov. 3: AL champion vs. NL champion, TBD
x-Saturday, Nov. 4: AL champion vs. NL champion, TBD