BRAVES VS. PHILLIES: NL EAST SHOWDOWN HAS ARRIVED

The calendar has flipped to September, and the National League East race is about to get extremely interesting.

The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies begin a massive four-game series Friday at Citizens Bank Park, with the Braves entering the weekend sitting four games ahead of Philadelphia in the division. Atlanta comes in at 83-57, while the Phillies sit at 79-61.

This isn’t just another regular-season series. With the two rivals scheduled to meet seven times over the next 10 days, the upcoming stretch could ultimately determine who controls the NL East heading into October.

BRAVES LOOKING TO HOLD THEIR GROUND

Atlanta has put together an impressive season and enters the series having won eight of its last 10 games. The Braves also recently dominated the Los Angeles Dodgers and have continued to find ways to create separation in the division.

The Braves will send Chris Sale to the mound in Friday’s opener. Sale has been one of Atlanta’s biggest weapons this season, entering the matchup with a 13-9 record and a 2.06 ERA.

Atlanta’s projected rotation for the series also includes Martín Pérez, Tyler Mahle and Bryce Elder, giving the Braves plenty of experience and depth on the mound.

The goal for Atlanta is simple: prevent Philadelphia from gaining momentum and leave Citizens Bank Park with its division lead intact.

PHILLIES ARRIVE WITH MOMENTUM

Philadelphia’s season has taken a dramatic turn.

After struggling earlier in the year, the Phillies exploded during August, going 21-7 and putting themselves right back into the NL East race. They have also won 15 of their last 18 games, making this series a completely different matchup from the last time these teams met.

The Phillies’ pitching staff has also improved significantly. Cristopher Sánchez gets the ball Friday against Sale after throwing seven shutout innings in his previous start. Philadelphia will then turn to Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Jesús Luzardo during the remainder of the series.

Offensively, Bryce Harper remains one of Philadelphia’s biggest catalysts. Harper enters the series with a 35-game on-base streak and hit .368 during August.

A SERIES THAT COULD CHANGE THE DIVISION

The stakes couldn’t be much higher.

Philadelphia doesn’t necessarily need to sweep Atlanta to make the division race interesting, but taking three of four would dramatically cut into the Braves’ advantage. Atlanta, meanwhile, has the opportunity to create even more separation and put the Phillies in a difficult position with another three-game series between the teams coming shortly afterward.

The biggest question may be which team’s pitching staff performs better in the biggest moments. Both clubs have strong rotations, meaning one big inning, one mistake or one clutch home run could decide these games.

The last time these teams met, Atlanta dominated the matchup, winning five of six games between the clubs. But Philadelphia has changed considerably since then.

Now, the Phillies have a chance to prove that the NL East race is far from over.

And with seven games between these rivals in just 10 days, September baseball is about to feel a lot like October.