The likelihood started to look extremely dim over the weekend, but the Phillies did indeed clinch a postseason spot and thus a ticket to Atlanta to take on the Braves in the best of three Wild Card series. There is plenty of familiarity between these two division rivals, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some new weaknesses and strengths to consider as they meet once again in the postseason. Here are some key matchups to watch as the two do battle once again.
The Phillies Left-handed starters vs. the Braves lineup
The Phillies will be deploying two of
the best lefty starters in the game in Jesús Luzardo and Cristopher Sánchez in the first two games of this series. It’s to be determined how far Luzardo can go in Game 1 in what will be just his second time facing hitters since being activated off the injured list where he was shelved with shoulder inflammation, but Sánchez will be on normal rest in Game 2.
It just so happens that the Braves lineup struggles against left-handed pitching. Their overall .696 OPS against lefties for the season ranked 20th while their .240 average placed 17th. Their best hitters against lefties are both curiously lefties themselves, as they are Matt Olson (.824 OPS) and Michael Harris II (.780). On the whole, the Braves have been even worse against lefties since the beginning of September, owning the worst OPS (.585) and fifth worst batting average (.216).
Luzardo and Sánchez both excel against lefties, with Luzardo especially dominating them this year. He’s held same sided pitching to a .145 AVG and .396 OPS with a 35.4% strikeout rate. The Phillies will likely not hold many advantages in this series, but having these two against the Atlanta lineup is one of them.
The Braves bullpen vs. the Phillies lineup
One of the Braves’ biggest strengths this year has been their bullpen, as they finished fourth in bullpen ERA (3.44) and second in WHIP (1.19). They’re anchored by All-Star closer Raisel Iglesias, lefty Dylan Lee, and 21-year-old rookie Didier Fuentes.
Iglesias finished the season with 34 saves and allowed just one run in four appearances against the Phillies in 2026, but he has struggled against some of the Phillies hitters in the past. Bryce Harper in particular has owned Iglesias, as Harper is 6-12 with four home runs in his career against the Braves closer. Lee is another pitcher the Phillies have seen many times, as he’s appeared in a game 28 times against Philadelphia, the most appearances Lee has against any team in his career. He’s been deployed seemingly every series against the Phillies lefties in Harper and Kyle Schwarber, even if both have good numbers against him.
Fuentes however is still relatively new to the Phillies, and they haven’t quite figured him out yet. The former starter turned reliever impressed in his rookie season, posting a 2.45 ERA in 73.1 innings across 58 appearances with a 31% strikeout rate. He’s made just three appearances against the Phillies, all coming this year in his first full season, and he’s allowed one earned run on three hits with six strikeouts across five total innings.
The Braves will look to shorten games with their bullpen, and the Phillies have struggled to hit in the later innings, posting the fifth worst OPS (.672) and second worst wRC+ (84) from the seventh inning on. That will have to change if the Phillies want any chance of pulling off the upset.
Alex McFarlane vs. Ronald Acuña Jr.
This is one hyper specific matchup that will surely reverberate throughout the series. It was one that was highlighted the last time the Braves came to Philadelphia on Labor Day weekend, as the two engaged in a seven-pitch battle that consisted of nothing but fastballs from McFarlane, all of which were 100 MPH or harder. Acuña fell behind 0-2 quickly with two whiffs but then fouled off three heaters, looking as though he was getting closer and closer to timing up the rookie right hander. And time him up he did, as Acuña connected on the seventh pitch, a 100 MPH fastball on the high and outside corner and pulled it into the left-center field seats for a game-changing three run homer.
It’s safe to say that McFarlane has not forgotten that at-bat. The 25-year-old right hander has emerged as the Phillies best non-Jhoan Duran option in their shaky bullpen, and manager Don Mattingly has relied on him heavily down the stretch and will look to do the same in the postseason. McFarlane will be called upon to get high leverage outs and will likely be the biggest part in a bridge to Duran.
All of that goes to say that he will almost assuredly face Acuña again. Will he change his approach and throw Acuña a breaking pitch after going ahead? Or will he continue to attack the Braves star with heat, as Acuña has hit just .194 on four seam fastballs at or above 97 MPH? The Phillies will learn a lot about their young reliever in how he faces down this rematch in the postseason.
