Just because you’re winnin’ don’t mean you’re the lucky one: Phillies vs. Braves series preview

Featured Brave: Dominic Smith

As expected, the Braves’ best hitter in the early going has been designated hitter Dominic Smith. Wait, what? Smith was once a top 100 prospect for the Mets, but aside from an oddly strong campaign in the shortened 2020 season (he finished 13th in MVP voting!) he never established himself as much more than a quad-A player. He’s spent the last few years bouncing around the league, and after an unimpressive season as a bench player with the Giants in 2025, he signed with the Braves as a free agent. Serving as the team’s primary DH, he’s off to a hot start, batting .381 with three home runs. There’s a strong likelihood that this start is unsustainable (IYKYK) and in a few weeks, Smith’s numbers will be back into the ordinary realm. But who knows? Smith wouldn’t be the first player to experience an odd breakout campaign in his early 30’s.

What about the Phillies?

The offense has been inconsistent, the starting pitching has been disappointing, and the relief pitching has become leaky. But perhaps the most annoying thing about the Phillies’ recent play is the sloppiness. They’ve made a lot of poor plays in the field and baserunning mistakes. If they want to turn this around, that’s the first thing that they can clean up.

Non-Phillies thought

This should be quite the weekend for Philadelphia sports. Not only will the Braves come to town, but the Sixers and Flyers begin their playoff runs. Both the basketball team and hockey team are in a similar situation: They’re the underdogs in a series against a traditional rival who has largely gotten the best of them over the years. (This might be the best scenario for the fans. As I’ve learned, Philadelphia sports fans greatly prefer underdogs with lessened expectations.) As a special cherry on top, this weekend is also Wrestlemania! Looks like I might need to set up multiple televisions, although the last time I did that was for game five of the NLDS and the Eagles on Thursday Night Football, and that night went very poorly.

Pennant year song battle

Everybody Wants You has been defeated! **It’s a Mistake** by **Men at Work** is our new title holder. The next contender comes from 2008 and describes how the Phillies have too often looked this season: **Clumsy** by **Fergie**: Vote now:

Closing thought

While I don’t think the Phillies are as bad as they’ve looked, nor are the Braves as good as they’ve played. And it’s still only mid-April, so things can – and probably will – change in a hurry. That said, it would be great if the Phillies could win this series and avoid digging themselves too deep of a hole early in the season.