Philadelphia @ Atlanta preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 17, 2019 ) Philadelphia 5, Atlanta 4

The Philadelphia Phillies saw their faint National League wild card hopes suffer a big hit last week, but hope one inning of offensive success gets them moving in the right direction entering Wednesday’s matchup at the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies took advantage of two infield singles and two homers in the fourth inning Tuesday, scoring five runs in the frame before holding on for a 5-4 victory in the series opener to win for just the third time in the past seven games.

First baseman Rhys Hoskins homered for the second consecutive game and left fielder Jose Pirela added a two-run shot in the decisive inning for the Phillies, who began an 11-game road trip by moving within four games of the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee for the second and final NL wild-card spot. Atlanta opened a six-game homestand looking to move to the brink of the NL East title, but were unable to lower its magic number of three despite having the tying run on third base in the ninth as Washington defeated St. Louis to pull within nine games of the first-place Braves. Shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria delivered a pinch-hit homer in the eighth, giving Atlanta a franchise record 236 longballs this season. Braves left fielder Nick Markakis finished 1-for-5 on Tuesday, and in four games since returning from the injured list is 8-for-18 with three RBIs.

TV: 7:20 p.m. ET, ESPN, NBCS Philadelphia, FS Southeast (Atlanta)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Zach Eflin (8-12, 4.20 ERA) vs. Braves RH Julio Teheran (10-9, 3.50)

Eflin has battled an up-and-down season in which he boasts two complete games and one shutout, but has allowed six or more earned runs in five of his 25 starts and landed in the bullpen for two weeks this summer. The 25-year-old is 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA in five starts since returning to the rotation Aug. 17, but took the loss on Sept. 11 against the Braves after allowing three unearned runs on three hits with five strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings. It continued a difficult trend for Eflin against Atlanta this season, as he gave up a combined 17 runs (12 earned) on 14 hits over 5 2/3 innings across two July starts.

Teheran had one of his few subpar outings this season Thursday against the Phillies, surrendering five runs on five hits with three homers allowed and three walks in four innings of a 9-5 loss. The 28-year-old gave up five runs or more for just the fourth time in his past 24 starts since May 5, posting a 2.94 ERA with a .215 opponents batting average in that span as the Braves are 16-8 in those outings. Teheran, who held Washington one run on three hits with eight strikeouts over six innings in his previous start Sept. 7, is 0-2 with an 8.00 ERA and nine hits allowed (four homers) across nine innings against the Phillies in 2019.

WALK-OFFS

1. Philadelphia LF Corey Dickerson, who hit eight homers in 34 games after being acquired at the trade deadline, will miss the rest of the season with a fractured left foot.

2. The Braves are hopeful CF Ender Inciarte, sidelined since Aug. 17 with a right hamstring strain, can come off the injured list by the end of the week.

3. Phillies C J.T. Realmuto went 1-for-4 with a single Tuesday, but is 3-for-20 in his past five games.

PREDICTION: Braves 5, Phillies 3