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Phillies set to take on Braves in NLDS: Here's what to expect

The Phillies will host at least one postseason home game for the first time in 11 years, with game three of the NLDS set for Friday at Citizens Bank Park.

PHILADELPHIA — After sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Wild Card Series, the Philadelphia Phillies are moving on to face the Atlanta Braves in a best-of-five National League Division Series.

The National League East rivals will face off for the chance to represent the division in the the National League Championships.

Here's what to expect from the series:

When are the games scheduled to be played and where can you watch them?

Game One of the NLDS is slated for 1:07 p.m. on Oct. 11, and will be at Atlanta's Truist Park.

Game Two, also in Atlanta, will be at 4:35 p.m. on Oct. 12. You can watch both games on FOX43.

Game Three, which will be the first postseason game played in Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park in 11 years, is set for Friday, Oct. 14. A game time has not yet been announced by MLB.

Game Four (if necessary) would also be held in Citizens Bank Park, on Saturday, Oct. 15.

Finally, if the series was pushed to fifth game, the Braves would host it in Atlanta on Sunday, Oct. 16. The final three games of the series are slated to air on FS1.

How do the Phillies match up against the Braves?

In the regular season, the Phillies went 8-11 against the Braves, but Atlanta only outscored Philadelphia by a 88-85 margin in those 19 contests.

The Braves won 101 games and ended the regular season on a 21-5 run to catch the New York Mets for the division crown.

However, with becoming the No. 2 seed in the National League, the Braves earned a bye that has them not playing a game for six games entering Tuesday's series opener. Only time will tell if there is a rust factor.

The team is led by its starting pitching staff, which boasts ace Max Fried, who will start Game One.

Among the options to start Game Two are Kyle Wright, Charlie Morton, and possible NL Rookie of the Year, Spencer Strider, who signed a contract extension with the team on Monday.

Of course, Atlanta is no slouch with the bats either, as infield corner bats Matt Olson and Austin Riley each blasted over 34 home runs and had a combined 196 runs batted in. Shortstop Dansby Swanson is having a career year at the plate, and rookie center fielder Michael Harris will battle Strider for the Rookie of the Year crown, after hitting .297 with 19 home runs in 114 games.

Overall, Atlanta is a well-rounded team that can beat anyone in a variety of ways.

To counter them, the Phillies will start left-hander Ranger Suarez in Game One, likely followed by starters Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler in Games Two and Three respectively.

Suarez has made 15 appearances against the Braves, and has pitched to a 3.21 ERA over 42 innings.

Nola and Wheeler have seen even more time against Atlanta. In 30 starts against the Braves, Nola has gone 15-10 with a 3.39 ERA over 188.2 innings pitched. Wheeler has started 24 contests against Atlanta, and posted a 10-7 record with a 3.16 ERA over 151 innings.

Similarly, the Phillies' lineup is awfully familiar with Atlanta, as Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Rhys Hoskins and Alec Bohm have only played with Philadelphia, and seen a lot of time against the Braves.

All in all, these teams are very familiar with each other, and it should make for a fun series.

The Braves and Phillies have not faced off in the postseason since the 1993 National League Championship Series, which the Phils won in six games. 

Download the FOX43 app here.

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