Phillies visit the Braves after Eflin's strong showing
Philadelphia Phillies (38-30, second in the NL East) vs. Atlanta Braves (40-29, first in the NL East)
Atlanta; Friday, 7 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Phillies: Nick Pivetta (4-1, 4.93 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 37 strikeouts) Braves: Max Fried (7-3, 3.75 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 66 strikeouts)
LINE: Braves favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 9 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Philadelphia heads into the matchup after a dominant performance by Zach Eflin. Eflin pitched eight innings, giving up two runs on five hits with nine strikeouts against Arizona.
The Braves are 10-8 against opponents from the NL East. Atlanta has a collective on-base percentage of .332, good for third in the National League. Freddie Freeman leads the team with a mark of .397.
The Phillies have gone 15-9 against division opponents. Philadelphia has hit 82 home runs as a team this season. Jay Bruce leads the club with 19, averaging one every 10.4 at-bats.
TOP PERFORMERS: Freeman leads the Braves with 83 hits and is batting .311. Ozzie Albies is 12-for-35 with three doubles, a triple, three home runs and seven RBIs over the last 10 games for Atlanta.
Bruce leads the Phillies with 32 extra base hits and is slugging .586. Scott Kingery is 9-for-36 with two doubles, a triple, four home runs and eight RBIs over the last 10 games for Philadelphia.
LAST 10 GAMES: Braves: 8-2, .277 batting average, 4.50 ERA, outscored opponents by 17 runs
Phillies: 5-5, .237 batting average, 5.01 ERA, outscored by nine runs
Braves Injuries: Darren O'Day: 60-day IL (forearm), Kevin Gausman: 10-day IL (foot), Ender Inciarte: 10-day IL (lumbar strain).
Phillies Injuries: David Robertson: 60-day IL (elbow), Pat Neshek: 10-day IL (shoulder), Adam Morgan: 10-day IL (forearm), Tommy Hunter: 60-day IL (arm), Seranthony Dominguez: 10-day IL (elbow), Victor Arano: 60-day IL (elbow), Roman Quinn: 10-day IL (groin), Andrew McCutchen: 10-day IL (knee), Adam Haseley: 10-day IL (groin).
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