Game Preview: Braves at Phillies, 7:05 PM

At the risk of sounding completely over-dramatic and over-the-top, I’m going to proclaim that this series is going to make or break the season for the Braves.

Now, this isn’t to say that the Braves chances of winning the East rest on a simple three-game series in late July, or that losing two of three to Philly will kill the Braves chances in the Wild Card race, it just means that the outcome of this series will most likely determine Atlanta’s mindset towards the rest of the season.

If they sweep, they’re right back in the race. Time to acquire a new bat (Nady? Bay?), possibly a new arm (man, this market is weak.), and take it right down the stretch in a four-team race.

If they get swept, it’s over. They’ll be too far out in the East to make a legitimate run, and most likely we Braves fans will get to give a tearful goodbye to the likes of Mark Teixeira and/or Will Ohman.

A 2-1 series either way, well, that’s where it gets dicey. It depends on many different factors. Which team won 2 games? What were the scores of the games? Did we dominate them the whole series but just took an unlucky loss? Did we blow a late-inning lead and lose another one-run game?

All that said, it’s time to kick off the series right in Game 1 tonight at Citizens Bank Park.

Here’s your pitching matchup for game 1, tonight, at 7:05 PM:

	vs.
Jair Jurrjens		Kyle Kendrick
9-5	W-L	8-4
3.22	ERA	4.87
86	K	49
42	BB	33

Look for Atlanta to jump on Kendrick early in this one, even without the services of Chipper Jones, who is still out with the hamstring injury he suffered earlier this week in Florida. Chipper will undergo further evaluation today, and I’ll be sure to keep the latest news up to date here when I hear any information.

I have a feeling that Atlanta will feel the sense of urgency in this extremely important game 1, and take a comfortable victory in Philly tonight.