Philadelphia @ Atlanta preview

Last Meeting ( May 23, 2018 ) Atlanta 0, Philadelphia 4

Freddie Freeman has been the one constant throughout the Atlanta Braves' four-year rebuild, and now the first baseman and his teammates have an opportunity to win the National League East championship this weekend as they host the Philadelphia Phillies in a four-game series starting Thursday. Freeman, the lone position player left from Atlanta’s last playoff team in 2013, helped his team snap a four-game losing streak with three hits in Wednesday’s 7-3 win over St. Louis.

Freeman, who preached calm as the NL East leaders struggled in recent days, slugged his 23rd homer of the season and is hitting .405 with two homers and nine RBIs in his past 11 games as Atlanta reduced its magic number to six. The Phillies defeated the Mets 4-0 on Wednesday and arrive in Atlanta trailing the Braves by 5 1/2 games in the East, and must win at least twice this weekend to stave off elimination. The Phillies have been unable to take advantage of Atlanta’s recent slump, going 6-11 in September as they embark on an eight-game road trip that also includes four games next week at Colorado. First baseman Rhys Hoskins snapped a 0-for-10 skid Wednesday with two hits, including a double and a homer, and his 67 extra-base hits are the most by a Philadelphia player since Jayson Werth in 2010 (75).

TV: 7:35 p.m. ET, MLB Network, NBCS Philadelphia, FS Southeast (Atlanta)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Vince Velasquez (9-11, 4.50 ERA) vs. Braves RH Kevin Gausman (10-10, 3.92)

Velasquez has faded down the stretch as he surpassed his career high in innings pitched (140 this season; 131 in 2016), posting a 9.82 ERA with 16 hits allowed in 11 innings across three September starts. The 26-year-old has yet to pitch more than five innings in his past seven starts, giving up four runs on four hits over two innings Saturday against Miami. Velasquez has lost all four starts against the Braves this season, posting a 7.41 ERA with 29 hits allowed in 17 innings.

Gausman has revitalized his season while bolstering Atlanta’s rotation since being acquired from Baltimore on July 31, going 5-2 in eight starts with a 2.61 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. The 27-year-old has scuffled in his past two starts, giving up seven earned runs with six walks and 14 hits across 10 1/3 innings while losing at Arizona and beating Washington. Gausman faced Philadelphia once while still with Baltimore, allowing five runs on 12 hits over five innings of a July 12 start.

WALK-OFFS

1. Phillies C Wilson Ramos collected two hits Wednesday and is batting .450 with four RBIs in his past seven games.

2. Braves CF Ender Inciarte is hitting .393 in his past eight games with nine runs scored and four doubles.

3. Atlanta and Philadelphia have not played each other since May 23 and the Braves lead the season series 7-5, outscoring the Phillies 57-38.

PREDICTION: Braves 5, Phillies 2