Grant Holmes and Andrew Painter are set to square off Sunday night in the Phillies series finale at Citizens Bank Park, a matchup that gives Atlanta one more chance to finish a sweep in Philadelphia. First pitch is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. EDT.
Holmes enters at 1-1 with a 3.32 ERA, and he saw this opponent recently. He started against Philadelphia on April 5 and lasted four innings, walking four and striking out six in a Braves loss. Painter is also 1-1, with a 3.77 ERA, and his last outing showed why the Phillies believe the rookie can handle this stage. In his third career start, he worked five innings of one-run ball against Arizona, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out seven.
Painters' outing carried a bigger backstory than the box score. He woke up with a migraine and threw up several times before taking the mound, then still limited Arizona to one run. That kind of recovery matters against a Braves club that has already made noise in the series, including handing Cristopher Sanchez his first loss of the season. Atlanta entered the weekend having allowed one run in 18 innings, and the form has put the club on the verge of sweeping Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park.
That is the core of the braves vs phillies prediction Sunday: whether Holmes can settle in the second time through a division matchup, or whether Painter can keep rolling in front of a home crowd even after a rough morning and a short recovery window. Atlanta is expected to stack right-handed bats for the matchup, a sign it intends to press the advantage and keep the pressure on a young Phillies starter. If Holmes is sharper than he was on April 5, the Braves have the pitching edge to finish the job; if Painter repeats his last turn, Philadelphia has a real chance to stop the sweep.
