Braves - Phillies: Who's better?

[lightsout]

Every stat you can find is pretty damn close. And most fans of both teams will claim there team is better. But let's try to get a consensus anyway.

Right now, Tim Hudson is on fire (believe I heard .64 ERA in his last 4 starts...). He's more on than, really, any pitcher in the NL, possibly in baseball. Against an overall good lineup in the Giants, he embarrassed them. double digit ground outs with a good healthy handful of Ks. The Braves bats are sporadic to say the least. Some nights, they're amazing, some nights they're embarrassing. Overall, they're pretty decent.

The Philles have Halladay. No, I don't consider the big 3 the big 3 because Hammels got LIT UP earlier in the season by the Braves and some other teams, and Oswalt is nothing more than a slightly above average starter. Halladay's record should be better, but a weak lineup in his past few starts or so haven't given him any run support. 2.17 ERA and only 13-8. Should be better for what many people consider to be the best pitcher in the NL.

Overall, this is a team sport. You have to have bats and arms at the same time every game, and between the Braves and Phillies, the Braves are the better of the 2 right now.

Any opinions? :lurk5: (waiting for J Rockets)

[faultlessjoint]

Braves.

Reason: The pen and the bench. So much more depth.

[Johnny Rockets]

The Braves are more well rounded right now but the Phils are just getting going and will prove to be the better team.

Let me revisit this once we get our two best players back. Utley and Howard = an American league team in a National league park which is tough to beat. Something tells me that in the stretch run at the end of the year, the Phils will be really clicking and out slugging everyone which I hope is enough to make up for or sub par pen. I truely believe the Phils will cruise right past the Braves and won't look back.

Looks like a 6 team race to the 4 available playoff spots. I really hope both the Phils and Braves make it in.

[panthers55]

Phils have more talent but due to injuries and some guys not performing up to their capacity the Braves are keeping a slight lead. Most years Philly is even or in catch up mode in August in the East. They usually catch fire after the All Star break. So even without Utley and Howard I expect them to catch and surpass the Braves over the next month or two.

[Johnny Rockets]

Braves.

Reason: The pen and the bench. So much more depth.

I am not sure how you can say the Braves have so much more depth on the bench. With all the injuries the Phillies have had (and still have), we have closed the gap to 2 games with a big part of our bench playing each game. Once guys like Utley, Howard, and Victorino get back to playing, the same guys that helped catch the Braves become our bench. Sweeney was also a great pick up for us.

[RazzleDazzle]

Braves, Chipper Jones played for the Durham Bulls. Does he even play anymore? I quit watching Baseball in 1996.

[lightsout]

I think the Phils are benefiting from a weaker schedule over the past couple weeks. Colorado, Arizona, Washington, Florida, and the Mets.

Colorado is treading water. 6.5 back in the NL West race.

Arizona is last in the West. TERRIBLE season thus far. (43-69)

Washington and Florida both sport losing records and probably don't stand a chance at catching Philly or Atlanta.

New York isn't much better than Florida.

Not to say that the Phillies are a bad team by any stretch, but the injuries haven't had a chance to really stick out like a sore thumb because of the level of talent. Also, due to this schedule in the past couple weeks, the Phillies have been able to catch up. Especially with a less than stellar road trip by Atlanta. The Braves have to do good on the road this time with Houston the next 3 days, then come home and at least split with LA in a 4 game set.

This race WILL be tight going into the Braves/Phils series and season finale!

[Johnny Rockets]

1.5...Thank You Houston. Braves had a meltdown of sorts las night.

[X-Clown]

1.5...Thank You Houston. Braves had a meltdown of sorts las night.

Those 3 errors were huge, and so was another awful outing by Farnsworth. I can't help but remember the year the meltdown that he had against the Astros in the 2005 playoffs.

[faultlessjoint]

Those 3 errors were huge, and so was another awful outing by Farnsworth. I can't help but remember the year the meltdown that he had against the Astros in the 2005 playoffs.

Seriously. I fuging sat on the couch all fuging day just to watch the braves get eliminated from the playoffs. That was easily the most dissappointing / frustrating baseball game I've ever watched.

[lightsout]

Careless...that's what last night was. Heyward goes yard, and I'm thinking "heyward's puttin em deep, we've got this"

And then the bullpen takes a poo of epic proportions on the game. Gotta get it tonight.

[c0r]

my dream scenario is billy wagner blows some saves in september vs the phils.

[panthers55]

I think the question has now been answered. And it isn't the Braves. They better play better or they won't make the wildcard or the playoffs at all.

[Johnny Rockets]

The Braves are more well rounded right now but the Phils are just getting going and will prove to be the better team.

Let me revisit this once we get our two best players back. Utley and Howard = an American league team in a National league park which is tough to beat. Something tells me that in the stretch run at the end of the year, the Phils will be really clicking and out slugging everyone which I hope is enough to make up for or sub par pen. I truely believe the Phils will cruise right past the Braves and won't look back.

Looks like a 6 team race to the 4 available playoff spots. I really hope both the Phils and Braves make it in.

It's like I am a baseball Nostraf*ckindamus.