For the last two seasons, the Braves smoked the Phillies in the regular season. It wasn’t even close. They had to make a comeback to pass the Braves in 2022, but last season the Braves had it wrapped up within the first few months. This is not European Soccer though. The regular season only counts for seeding in the playoffs. The results in the playoffs are what really matter.

That is where they have killed the Braves. For two straight seasons, those two teams met in a best-of-5 NLDS series. For two straight seasons, they knocked them out in 4 games. Of course, they went on to not get the trophy, meaning they also fell short. They came two wins short of winning the World Series in 2022, then 1 game away from getting back there in 2023.

Still, the Phillies have proven that when it really matters, they are the better team. They have better pitching and more timely hitting. The Braves might have added two NL East Pennants to their resume, but who really cares about that? It’s cute that the Braves won 205 combined games in the past two seasons. But if you add the playoffs to that, it only goes up to 207. Because the Phillies proved they are actually the better team.

Both teams are mostly the same. The Braves added Chris Sale and some bullpen arms. The Phillies added Whit Merrifield and some rotation depth. But the basic core of the two teams are the same. And all the reasons they beat them in the past two seasons, still exist.

The Braves might win the division again this year. They might not. We know it doesn’t matter that much. Because we know that when the games count, the Phillies are the better team. No matter what happens in this season-opening series, the Philadelphia Phillies are better than the Braves.

Here Are 3 Big Advantages The Phillies Have Over The Braves:

• The Pitching Rotation

  Starting pitching is the main reason the Phillies beat the Braves in the past two series. Their rotation is just built better in the playoffs. Especially in a 5-game series. They can go Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Ranger Suarez. 3 dominant playoff pitchers. Wheeler’s postseason ERA is 2.42, with a WHIP of .73. Nola is at 3.70, And Ranger Suarez has the best playoff ERA of the bunch at 1.62. They are dominant.

  The Braves have Spencer Strider. Max Fried is a nice pitcher. But he was unreliable in both series. Charlie Morton is now 40 years old, you can’t count on him either. Chris Sale hasn’t been Chris Sale since 2018. With his injury history, you can’t even count on him being available. And we saw Bryce Elder is nothing special in the playoffs last year.

  It is very likely that in October, the Braves won’t have 3 reliable starters come playoff time again. They might only have 1. Meanwhile the Phillies starters have proven two years in a row that they will be at their best in the playoffs.

  John Clark on Twitter: "Ranger Suárez career in the postseason in 8 games3-00.94 ERA 🔥🔥Lowest ERA for any pitcher in baseball playoff history (minimum 5 starts) pic.twitter.com/oZYYTpwsVW / Twitter"

  Ranger Suárez career in the postseason in 8 games3-00.94 ERA 🔥🔥Lowest ERA for any pitcher in baseball playoff history (minimum 5 starts) pic.twitter.com/oZYYTpwsVW

• More Timely Hitting

  In terms of the regular season, the Braves have the better lineup. The Phillies lineup is great, but this same Braves lineup put up historic numbers last season. In the regular season.

  The playoffs are a different animal though. Their bats, with a  few exceptions, fell off once they got into the playoffs. In 8 playoff games the past two seasons, Ronald Acuna has 7 hits. Only 2 of those went for extra bases. He also has only 2 steals. In the regular season, he is perhaps the most dynamic hitter in the league. Against the Phillies, in the playoffs, he is pedestrian. And it is not just him. The team had a slash line of .183/.268/.266/.534 between those 2 series.

  The Phillies meanwhile crushed it. A few hitters struggled here and there. but their overall numbers were better than their regular season numbers. As a team, they slashed .273/.386/.511/.897. Turner, Harper, Castellanos, and Marsh all hit over .400 in 2023 against the Braves.

  Some of that goes back to the Phillies pitching advantage. While the Phillies hitters got to tee off on Bryce Elder, the Braves had to contend with Wheeler, Nola, And Suarez. But it also just speaks to the team having a better lineup when it counts. The Braves can set all the regular season records they want. In the playoffs, they fell on their face.

  MLB on Twitter: "It's Always Loud in Philadelphia. #Postseason pic.twitter.com/KWGR5qklf1 / Twitter"

  It's Always Loud in Philadelphia. #Postseason pic.twitter.com/KWGR5qklf1

• A Real Home Field Advantage

  Truist Park is nice. It is annoying to get to from what I hear, but it is a nice-looking ballpark. They get no advantage playing there though. No Phillies players are worried about how loud it is going to be.

  Meanwhile, Citizens Bank Park is creating noise levels that are dangerous for your health. People get warnings from their Apple watches that decibel levels reach unsafe levels. It is why they are 4-0 against the Brave in Citizens Bank Park in the two NLDS series. Braves fans just can’t replicate that.

  Thats not a knock on Braves fans. Most ballparks in the league don’t offer a real home-field advantage. The sport just doesn’t lend to that type of thing the way Football does. But the Phillies cracked that code. At least in the earlier rounds of the playoffs when normal people can afford to go to games.

  MLB on Twitter: "Here is what 111 decibels sounds like. 🔊 pic.twitter.com/C8rMQCOgjL / Twitter"

  Here is what 111 decibels sounds like. 🔊 pic.twitter.com/C8rMQCOgjL

   

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