Phillies Announce Lineup For Massive Series Opener vs Braves

The Philadelphia Phillies have announced the lineup for their series opening game against the Atlanta Braves. 

Within, the team will again have slugger Kyle Schwarber leading off. Schwarber gives this team a true power threat at the top of the lineup, and he's had an excellent season so far.

Shortstop Trea Turner bats second, followed by slugger Bryce Harper, giving this team some legitimate punch from the middle of the order. Luis Arraez will be playing at second base in this game, hitting fourth.

Alec Bohm will be hitting fifth and playing first base in this game. He is followed by Edmundo Sosa, who will play in left field.

Rounding out the lineup will be Bryson Stott, at third base, followed by catcher J. T. Realmuto. And finally, Derek Hill will be playing in center field, batting ninth.

On the mound for the Phillies will be ace Cristopher Sánchez.

This game will feature a heavyweight pitching matchup with Sánchez going up against Braves ace Chris Sale. Both left-handers have put together special seasons, leading to them being mentioned in the Cy Young Award race.

Sánchez owns a 2.52 ERA over 28 starts this year, firing 175.1 innings of work. The ace has struck out 202 batters over this time.

Philadelphia has done well against left-handers since manager Don Mattingly took over the team back on April 27. The Phillies are hitting a .751 OPS against lefties under Mattingly.

This could give them some positivity going up against Sale, who has been extremely dominant over his last few outings. Sale looks like his former self this year, and the Phillies will have a big challenge on their hands in this game.

The Phillies enter the series with Atlanta, sitting just four games back of the Braves in the National League East division. This matchup offers them a chance to get back into the division race, which was something that wasn't present of mind a few weeks ago.

The two teams are kicking off a series of seven games against one another over the next 10 contests, giving each side a chance to make a statement. For the Phillies, this is the chance that they have been waiting for all season long.

The clock is ticking, but the Phillies can control their own destiny over the next few weeks.

First pitch for the series opener will take place at 3:40 p.m. PT/6:40 p.m. ET from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.