PHILADELPHIA -- Maybe this rainout will be as beneficial to the Braves as the one Crash Davis and the Durham Bulls manufactured in the iconic baseball film "Bull Durham*.*"
The Braves and Phillies will play a split doubleheader on Thursday after rain forced the postponement of Wednesday’s game at Citizens Bank Park. The first game of the doubleheader will begin at 1:05 p.m. ET and the second game will start at 6:45 p.m. ET. For further information, please visit here.
Wednesday’s scheduled starter AJ Smith-Shawver will match up against Cristopher Sánchez in the first game. The nightcap will feature 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale matching up against 2024 NL Cy Young Award runner-up Zack Wheeler.
The Braves have lost five of their past six games and now sit 9 1/2 games behind the first-place Phillies in the National League East. Ronald Acuña Jr. returned from a year-long recovery from knee surgery on Friday. But the offense was shut out for the fourth time this year and the first time since April 5 during Tuesday night’s series opener in Philadelphia.
Atlanta has gone 11-10 since May 4 despite producing MLB’s fourth-best ERA (2.85) going back to that date.