The Braves won 7-2 on Friday night in the series opener against the Phillies, riding a big six run eighth inning to victory. While Friday was a very favorable pitching matchup for Atlanta, the opposite is true for Saturday’s game, as the Braves’ fifth starter, Jake Odorizzi, faces off against the Phillies’ top starter and Cy Young candidate, Aaron Nola.
Nola has been fantastic this season, boasting a 2.80/2.63/2.84 FIP/xFIP/xERA slash-line over nearly 180 innings, although suffering a bit from the Phillies’ pitiful defense, ballooning his ERA to 3.31 (still a very strong number). Nola has had strong strikeout and walk rates, with 10.