After a solid win Friday night in the battle of the aces, the Braves now face what sure seems like a disadvantageous pitching matchup Saturday, with Martin Perez facing Zack Wheeler.
Wheeler has been mostly back to his normal self coming back from injury this season, though with a slightly elevated, but still low walk rate. He has struggled a bit over the last month or so, with walks in particular. The Braves’ offense would do well to pay attention to his command and be a little patient at the plate. Wheeler still utilizes a true six-pitch arsenal with his four-seamer as a primary but a sweeper, sinker, splitter, curve, and cutter all mixed in and serving as solid pitches. He also maintains elite extension in the 97th percentile. If the Braves get lucky, Wheeler will still be struggling with command and will pair some of those walks with a homer or two.
Perez continues to muddle through the 2026 season performing admirably as a veteran innings-eater and has been rewarded with a 3.05 ERA that is more than a bit lucky. The Phillies have struggled on offense this year and have historically struggled against lefty pitching, with this year being no different. This is a good matchup for Martin with that platoon advantage, but that won’t make us any more comfortable watching him face Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.
Game Time: Saturday, September 5th, 6:05 p.m. ET
Location: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pa.
Radio/Audio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan