Photo by Andrew nyr, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsSend Me Philadelphia
Atlanta hosts a best-of-three at Truist Park next week and still does not know who is coming. I already know who I want.
If Atlanta gets a vote on who walks into Truist Park on Tuesday, mine goes to Philadelphia. Not because they are the worst team left. They are not.
Four clubs can still be the visitor, and Ellis mapped how Atlanta ended up hosting at all. I am not here for the branches. I know the name I want on that board.
This city lands on Arizona by breakfast. Worst record left, 86-74, done thinking. Arizona does not scare me either. Three of those six straight wins came at Colorado, a 57-103 club, and 160 games put the Diamondbacks at plus-17.
Philadelphia is 87-73 and plus-22. Better record. Better run differential. Worse week to play them.
Jesús Luzardo, 2.87 with 221 strikeouts, is on the 15-day injured list. Cristopher Sánchez pitched Friday. Zack Wheeler is the listed probable for Sunday. Behind them sit Aaron Nola at 4.54 and Andrew Painter at 5.40, for a lineup that has scored one, one and zero in three days.
The best swing at me is that Philadelphia wins more away than at home, 45-36 on the road against 42-37 in their own park. Fine. A road split does not throw a pitch on Tuesday. And if they settle their spot Saturday and hold Wheeler back for the opener, I lose this one before first pitch.
The club nobody should want is Chicago. 844 runs, 113 more than Atlanta scored. That door is still open.
My October rotation call got settled by an injured list instead of an argument, so I am not cashing it. Here is one I will stand behind: I'm 58% sure Atlanta comes out of this round. Down from where it has sat since August, and the best-of-three is the reason.
The board is blank. Put Philadelphia on it.
The Tilt
I want Philadelphia at Truist Park, and their injured list is the entire reason.
— Dex Ponce
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