Two projected top-two teams in the NL East will face each other in game two of their series on Saturday afternoon when the Atlanta Braves face the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with the game scheduled to start at 4:05 PM ET and will air on Fox Sports 1.

The Atlanta Braves finished with the best record in the National League last season at 104-58, however, they were eliminated for the 2^nd straight season in the NL Divisional round against the Philadelphia Phillies. After the game on Opening Day was rained out on Thursday the Braves faced the Phillies on Friday afternoon and had a dominant showing on the mound and offensively as they won by a score of 9-3. 

Atlanta struggled in the first six innings of the game against Philadelphia and trailed going into the 7^th inning 0-2, however, the Braves would score two runs in the 7^th inning and another seven runs in the 8^th inning to take a 9-2 lead with three off the runs being scored off a double hit by Matt Olson that also scored Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, and Ronald Acuna. 

Even though Spencer Strider did not record the win against the Phillies he still had a solid start to the season allowing two runs while striking out eight batters in the five innings he pitched. The Atlanta Braves will look to win their first series of the 2024 MLB season when they face the Philadelphia Phillies in game two of the series.

Zack Wheeler looked dominant against a team that is projected to be one of the top run-producing teams in baseball this season as he pitched for six innings against the Atlanta Braves and didn’t allow a run while striking out five batters. 

The Phillies were winning the game when Matt Strahm took over, however, Strahm blew the save opportunity and allowed two runs while recording one strikeout but only lasted ? of an inning. Brandon Marsh hit his first home run of the season which was a two-run home run in the bottom of the 5^th inning which also scored Bryson Stott. 

Philadelphia has eliminated the Braves the past two seasons in the MLB postseason and had won four of the previous five meetings entering the first game of the season on Friday. The Philadelphia Phillies will look to even the series at 1-1 when they host the Atlanta Braves in game two of the series on Saturday afternoon.

WagerWeb has the Atlanta Braves listed as -135 moneyline favorites on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 2 of the series on Saturday afternoon. Philadelphia has won four of the last six meetings in the season including eliminating the Atlanta Braves in the NL Divisional round of the 2023 MLB Postseason.

The Atlanta Braves are projected to be one of the best teams in the MLB this season and have the 2^nd best odds of winning the 2024 World Series, 2^nd to only the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, the Braves have struggled against the Phillies the last few seasons and have been eliminated in the NL Division Series against Philadelphia the previous two seasons. 

I look for the Philadelphia Phillies to bounce back following the loss in game one against the Atlanta Braves with a win in game 2 of the series on Saturday afternoon which is why I am taking the moneyline for the Phillies when they host the Braves.