NLCS 2010: Who Do The Phillies Want To Win, Braves Or Giants?

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Tonight's game between the Braves and Giants is the fourth game of the National League Division Series.  The Giants are up two games to one, but there anything can happen.  Naturally, many baseball fans will be watching tonight's game.

Since the Phillies finished off their sweep over Cincinnati last night, whoever wins this series will play them in the League Championship Series.  Lots of Phillies fans will probably be watching the Braves-Giants game, but they may not know which team to root for. So I've got some answers for those fans.  Based on statistics, I can tell you which team the Phillies will have a better chance of beating in the NLCS.

Defense

Brooks Conrad about to make his second error of last nights game.
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San Francisco Giants

The Giants defense is one of the best in the league.  During the regular season they were tied for the best fielding percentage in the league at .988. They also had the third least errors in the league with 73, just one behind the league leaders, who were tied at 72.

 

Atlanta Braves

The Braves defense seems to be opposite of the Giants.  They were 12th in the league with a .980 fielding percentage, and third for the most errors in the league with 126.  They also have Brooks Conrad, who is a great hitter but will probably not get to play much because of his bad defense.  He has four errors in the Division Series so far.

 

Who do the Phillies want to play?

Definitely the Braves.

Offense

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San Francisco Giants

The Giants have a pretty good offense, but nothing great.  During the season they were seventh in the league with a .257 team batting average. They were also ninth in the league for runs at 697.

 

Atlanta Braves

The Braves offense is very similar to the Giants.  They were sixth in the league for batting average at .258 and fifth in the league with 738 runs.

 

Who do the Phillies want to play?

This may be one of the hardest ones to decide.  The Giants are barely behind the Braves in team batting average and a little more behind in runs.  They both have similar offenses, built around just a few key players.  The only problem for the Braves is that Chipper Jones and Martin Prado are two of the players the offense is built around, and they are currently both injured.

Because of that fact, I would have to go with the Braves.

Pitching

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San Francisco Giants

Pitching is probably the Giants main weapon.  They have Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, and Madison Bumgarner as their main playoff pitchers.  For the season they led the league with a 3.36 ERA.  They also were first in the league with an opponents batting average of .236.

 

Atlanta Braves

The Braves also have some very good pitchers.  They have were third in the league with a 3.56 ERA during the season and fourth in the league with a .246 opponents batting average.

 

Who do the Phillies want to play?

Although both teams have good pitching, the Braves have some pitching injuries, like Billy Wagner and Jair Jurrjens, so I will have to go with Atlanta.

Injuries

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San Francisco Giants

The Giants don't really have many current injuries.  Jose Guillen did not play in the Division Series because of a sore neck, but he is not that important to the team.

 

Atlanta Braves

The Braves, on the other hand, have some major injuries.  They have starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens and relief pitcher Billy Wagner both out.  They also have some other important ones, including Martin Prado and Chipper Jones, who were both key offensive players.

 

Who do the Phillies want to play?

Seeing that the Braves have many injuries to important players while the Giants have barely any injuries, I would go with the Braves. 

 

Experience—Postseason and Vs. Phillies

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San Francisco Giants

The Giants have not made a postseason since 2003, so most of their players don't have much experience in the playoffs.  They have a few players with experience in the postseason, like Pat Burrel and Juan Uribe, but none have done extremely well.

Some of their starting pitchers have done good against the Phillies in the past.  Tim Lincecum had a 2.16 ERA against them in one game this season, Jonathan Sanchez had a 1.38 ERA against them in 2 games this season, and Matt Cain had a 3.00 ERA in one game. 

 

Atlanta Braves

The Braves have not made a postseason since 2005, so they also do not have many players with postseason experience.  They do have a couple, though.  Derek Lee had a .333 batting average in the 2007 postseason and a .545 batting average in the 2008 postseason, but he didn't play for many games in either.

Omar Infante had a .333 batting average in the 2006 postseason, but he only played in three games.

Melky Cabrera has had some experience in the postseason, having a .271 batting average in 13 playoff games last year.

The Braves play the Phillies a lot, and have some pitchers that do very well against them.  Tommy Hanson had a 1.21 ERA in four games this season, and Tim Hudson had a 3.79 ERA in three games against the Phillies.

 

Who do the Phillies want to play?

Because the Braves have some players with postseason experience, and because they have some pitchers who do good against the Phillies, I would pick the Giants.

Which Team Do The Phillies Want To Play Against In The NLCS?

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Both teams are very good.  The Giants have some good pitching and defense, but the Braves have some good hitting and some experience in the postseason.  The Braves also have a lot of injuries to key players.  It is close, but I think that the Phillies have a better chance to beat the Braves than they do to beat the Giants.

Another reason I picked the Braves is because they are in the Phillies division, and the Phillies have a lot of experience against them and know them very well.

Although the Braves are down in the series, we hope that they can come back and beat San Francisco. 

So, fans, have I answered your question?