Phillies-Braves NL Wild Card Series Preview
The Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves, representing the NL East in the 2026 MLB playoffs, will meet in the NL Wild Card round. Starting on Tuesday, the rival clubs will face each other at Truist Park, with the Braves having home-field advantage due to being the higher-seeded team. Ahead of the series opener, here is what to know about both teams.
Lineup
The trio of Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper provide much of the strength to this Phillies lineup. Turner had a below-average regular-season campaign for his standards with 156 hits, 58 RBI, and 19 home runs. On the other hand, Schwarber is tied for the first in home runs, with 45, along with 135 hits and 97 RBI. While his numbers have declined over the past two seasons, Harper registered 155 hits, 87 RBI, and 29 home runs on a .269 average.
Bryson Scott, Alec Bohm, and Brandon Marsh highlight the middle and end of the Phillies lineup. Scott had 137 hits and 67 RBI in his fifth season with the club. Bohm recorded 141 hits, 88 RBI, and 15 home runs as Marsh tallied 136 hits, 62 RBI, and 18 home runs to make his first All-Star appearance. The Phillies will be without second baseman Luis Arraez, who will not be on the Wild Card Series roster due to an ankle injury that is listed as day-to-day.
The core of Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, and Austin Riley are at the forefront of the Braves lineup. While dealing with a shin and knee injury during the regular season, Acuña recorded 104 hits, 18 doubles, 20 home runs, and 55 RBI. Olson is tied for sixth in the league for home runs, with 41, as he cracked 157 hits and 93 RBI across 162 appearances. Riley, meanwhile, had 124 hits, 72 RBI, and 19 home runs in the regular season.
Bench
The Phillies bench includes Edmundo Sosa, Garrett Stubbs, Derek Hill, and Bryan De La Cruz. Sosa tallied 57 hits, 44 RBI, and nine home runs while Hill produced 48 hits, 31 RBI, and 11 home runs in 67 appearances with the Phillies.
The Braves have depth pieces such as Sean Murphy, Kyle Farmer, Mauricio Dubon, Brewer Hicklen, and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. They also have utilized Dominic Smith as an additional designated hitter. In 108 appearances, Smith recorded 68 hits, 46 RBI, and nine home runs.
Starting Rotation
Left-hander Cristopher Sanchez, right-hander Zack Wheeler, and left-hander Jesus Luzardo anchor the Phillies starting rotation. In 33 appearances, Sanchez went 18-7 with a 2.91 ERA and 231 strikeouts. He had an 8.1 WAR — first among major-league pitchers — and a 1.203 WHIP. Wheeler, on the other hand, went 14-5 with 193 strikeouts in 28 outings. Luzardo also had a 14-5 record with a 2.86 ERA and 221 strikeouts.
The Braves rotation features left-hander Chris Sale and right-hander Tyler Mahle. In his third season with the Braves, Sale went 14-9 with 200 strikeouts and a 2.16 ERA in 27 appearances. Mahle went 7-10 with 137 strikeouts and a 3.99 ERA in 27 outings.
Relief Unit
The Phillies relief unit includes left-hander Jose Alvarado, right-hander Alex McFarlane, and right-handed closer Jhoan Duran. Alvarado recorded 31 strikeouts and 17 since the August 3 trade deadline while McFarlane totaled 20 strikeouts and had a 2.84 ERA. In 61 appearances, Duran tallied 84 strikeouts and 31 since the trade deadline while finishing with a 1.82 ERA and 3.4 WAR. The Phillies have the 20th best relief unit and were ranked 24th after the trade deadline and 30th in September.
The Braves relief unit includes right-hander Robert Suarez, right-hander Didier Fuentes, and right-handed closer Rasiel Iglesias. Suarez recorded 26 strikeouts with a 1.06 ERA in 33 appearances. Fuentes totaled 33 strikeouts with a 2.45 ERA in 58 outings. Iglesias came in eighth for saves with 34 and totaled 64 strikeouts on a 2.55 ERA. The Braves have the 10th ranked relief unit and 12th best after the trade deadline and were 15th in September.
Umpires
As is standard in the postseason, a six-man crew will umpire this series. The rotation will be home plate (HP) → RF → LF → 3B, then clockwise around the infield. For Game One, Dan Merzel will have the plate. Finishing the infield, Adam Beck will be at first base, Mark Ripperger will be at second base, and crew chief Jordan Baker will be at third base. Down the foul lines, Nestor Ceja will be in left field, and Charlie Ramos will be in right field. Following the rotation, Beck will have the plate in Game Two, and, if it goes that far, Ripperger will have it in Game Three.
Ramos will be calling his first postseason series. Merzel will be in his second, having called one prior Division Series. Ceja will be calling his third following a prior Wild Card and a prior Division Series. Beck will be in his fifth, having called two prior Wild Cards plus a Division and a League Championship Series. Ripperger will be in his ninth, following three prior Wild Cards as well as two Division, two League Championship, and one World Series. Baker will be in his 14th, having done five previous Wild Cards plus three Division, three League Championship, and two World Series.
Recent Records
After the August 3 trade deadline, the Phillies went 28-21. This included a nine game win streak in August and a six game winning streak in the beginning of September. In September, the Phillies went 9-14.
The Braves went 27-23 after the August 3 Trade Deadline. That included a seven-game win streak in late August. In September, the Braves went 12-12.
In the first half of the regular season, the Braves went 5-1 against the Phillies. The second half of 2026 saw even results as they went 4-4. Overall, the Braves were 9-5 against the Phillies in the regular season.
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Postseason History
The Phillies and Braves have faced three times in postseason history. They first met in the 1993 NLCS, when the Phillies defeated the Braves four games to two and reached the World Series. Nearly three decades later, they faced each other in the NL Division Series, when the Phillies beat the Braves, three games to one, en route to once again reaching the World Series. They faced a third time in the 2023 Division Series, with the Phillies once again taking down the Braves in four games. The Phillies have a 3-0 series record against the Braves and are 10-4 in individual playoff games.
