Phillies vs. Braves: Live Stream, Injuries, Pitching Matchups & Fantasy Preview

The Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves will meet for the first time on Tuesday. The season is still early, but their three-game series is one with pretty big NL East implications.

The NL East was supposed to belong to the Phillies, but they've struggled to generate offense this season and have gotten off to a disappointing 10-12 start. They're closer to last place in the division than they are to first place.

The Braves, meanwhile, begin Monday tied for first in the division. They've been on fire since starting the season 0-4, and they've done it, surprisingly, by piling up a ton of runs.

Here's a look ahead to tomorrow's showdown between these two NL East titans.

When: Tuesday, May 1 at 7:10 p.m. ET

Where: Turner Field, Atlanta, Georgia

Watch: WPHT for Philadelphia, WCNN for Atlanta, MLB Network nationally; streaming live online via MLB.TV (minimum $19.99 payment).

Injury Report

The Phillies have a couple minor injury concerns at present, but nothing major. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Carlos Ruiz is just fine after fouling a ball off his knee on Saturday, and Jim Thome is feeling okay after leaving Saturday's game with back tightness.

The Phillies, of course, are waiting for Cliff Lee to come off the disabled list. Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. said this weekend (via MLB.com) that Lee may not come off the DL on Friday when he's eligible to come off. The team is going to play it safe with his strained left oblique.

As for Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, Amaro said this weekend (via MLB.com) that the two of them are getting closer. As he put it, there's "a light at the end of the tunnel."

The Braves are in pretty good health at the moment, but the word from Mark Bowman of MLB.com is that Jason Heyward is feeling achy:

"

Heyward woke up with some soreness in his right side. He's hoping to return in a couple days.

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) April 30, 2012"

Heyward may be held of out action on Tuesday, but nothing's final yet.

Starting for Philadelphia: Cole Hamels

Cole Hamels has picked up right where he left off last year. He's 3-1 with a 2.73 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP in four starts. He also ranks fifth in the National League with 30 strikeouts.

Hamels typically does well against the Braves. He owns an 11-6 career record against Atlanta, with a 3.72 ERA. Last year, he compiled a 2.90 ERA against the Braves in four starts against them.

Hamels better be careful with Martin Prado, however. Prado owns a .333 career average against Hamels, with 14 hits in 42 at-bats. Prado also has five hits in his last 12 ABs.

Starting for Atlanta: Brandon Beachy

Brandon Beachy entered the season as a big-time sleeper in Atlanta's rotation, and he's been even better than advertised. He's 2-1 in four starts with a 1.05 ERA, which currently ranks second in the National League. 

Beachy hasn't had good luck against the Phillies in his career, brief as it is. He's 0-3 against the Phillies in six starts, despite having a respectable 3.94 ERA against them.

Carlos Ruiz has been a thorn in Beachy's side. He has five hits in eight at-bats against the Braves youngster.

Phillies' Fantasy Studs

Shane Victorino

Fantasy owners are used to seeing a better batting average from Victorino, as he enters Monday hitting just .230 on the young season. Nevertheless, fantasy owners should be thankful for Victorino's four homers and seven stolen bases.

Victorino is currently looking to snap out of a 1-for-17 slump in his last four games. The good news is that he has four hits in 10 career ABs against Beachy.

Juan Pierre

I can't believe I'm sitting here talking about Juan Pierre as a "fantasy stud," as I thought those days were long gone.

But let's give Pierre some credit. He's hitting .318 this season, and he's tied for the team-high with 21 hits. If he starts stealing bases at a more regular clip, he'll be a solid fantasy starter all season.

Jonathan Papelbon

The Phillies are getting exactly the kind of bang for their buck that they were hoping for when they signed Jonathan Papelbon this offseason. He already has seven saves, and he hasn't allowed a hit in his last four outings.

Braves' Fantasy Studs

Freddie Freeman

Freddie Freeman was batting .162 on April 15th. His average is now up to .274, and he has three homers and 16 RBI. 

Freeman isn't exactly a Phillies killer, however. He hit just .250 against them last season, and Hamels has held him to three hits in 13 at-bats. The bright side? One of those hits left the park.

Dan Uggla

Dan Uggla is off to a much, much, much better start this year. He's hitting a solid .272 on the young season, with three homers and 15 RBI. He has six RBI in his last four games.

Uggla has just eight hits in 50 at-bats against Hamels, but two of those left the park. If Hamels makes a mistake against Uggla, he'll pay for it.

Craig Kimbrel

Craig Kimbrel is already leading the National League in saves with eight, and he has 16 strikeouts in nine innings pitched.

Yeah, he's looking a lot like the pitcher who dominated hitters last year. You won't find a reliever with nastier stuff than Kimbrel, and he's putting it to good use this season.

Prediction: Braves 3, Phillies 2

Hamels is going to give the Phillies a shot to win this game, but I doubt Philly will be able to generate much offense against Beachy. He's been on a roll this season, and the simple truth of the matter is that Philly's offense just isn't capable of scoring that many runs.

We'll see a tough-luck loss for Hamels, a win for Beachy and a save for Kimbrel.