Everything to know about FOX Saturday Baseball: Braves-Phillies, Brewers-Reds

Major League Baseball

Updated Aug. 30, 2024 9:43 a.m. ET

FOX is home to a pair of must-watch MLB games this Saturday.

The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies meet up for the second matchup of their three-game weekend set in a battle between the two top teams in the NL East. Simultaneously, the Milwaukee Brewers hope to expand their lead in the NL Central when they take on the Cincinnati Reds.

Here’s everything you need to know about this weekend’s slate!

Braves at Phillies (7:15 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)

Probable starters: Max Fried (3.50 ERA) vs. Zack Wheeler (2.74 ERA)

After meeting in the NLDS in each of the past two seasons, the Braves and Phillies might be headed for a third straight postseason battle. Atlanta is on track to earn one of the three wild-card spots despite losing Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider and likely Austin Riley for the season due to injury and a slump earlier in the summer. The Braves have been rolling recently, going back to taking two of three from the Phillies a couple of weeks back. Marcell Ozuna has remained hot at the plate in August, while Matt Olson and Jorge Soler have had their best month at the plate this season. Chris Sale might be dealing toward his first Cy Young award and Fried is having a strong year, too. He gave up just two runs in seven innings in his last outing against the Phillies.

Philadelphia appears likely to unseat Atlanta as the top dog in the NL East and this four-game set could give it a strong cushion entering the final month of the regular season. The Phillies’ star-studded lineup and pitching staff actually had them playing at a near-record pace earlier in the year, but they’ve cooled off since then. Still, Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos and Kyle Shwarber have had big months at the plate to help the Phillies have one of the best records in baseball. Wheeler was one of five Phillies pitchers selected to the All-Star game this season, but he’s arguably the best of the group. His 1.97 ERA in August has helped him become one of the favorites for NL Cy Young.

Brewers at Reds (7:15 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)

Probable starters: Frankie Montas, Milwaukee (4.64 ERA) vs. TBD, Cincinnati

Milwaukee has led in the NL Central for nearly the entire season and added to its cushion in August with impressive results against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Guardians and Braves. Even with Christian Yelich out for the season, Milwaukee’s offense has impressed. William Contreras and Willy Adames have been hitting to their potential this month, while star rookie Jackson Chourio has settled in and become an important piece. Milwaukee’s pitching has also improved in August, with Montas posting a 3.33 ERA this month.

Cincinnati was one of the top threats to Milwaukee earlier in the season, but the Reds have struggled in the second half of the season. Still, the Reds have a bunch of interesting pieces and high-performing players on their roster. Elly De La Cruz is seeking to join the 30-30 club, sitting a handful of homers short of the honor. Cincinnati also called up its second-best prospect, Rhett Lowder, to start Friday’s game. Lowder was the seventh overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft.

Now, check out some pregame reading from across MLB courtesy of FOXSports.com!

Six-inning minimum, anyone? Count John Smoltz in. The Hall of Famer doesn’t mince words on potential pitching rule changes, the three triple crown candidates, MLB parity and more in his weekly interview with Rowan Kavner.

Why Aaron Judge might be having the best offensive season by a right-handed hitter ever: Judge is invoking memories of Barry Bonds in a historic offensive year that’s on pace to best his record-setting 2022 MVP season — and could be the best ever from a righty, Kavner writes.

Shohei Ohtani ‘wants to be the greatest player to ever play this game’: Is 50/50 next? Playing meaningful baseball down the stretch for the first time, every Ohtani feat means a little more, Kavner writes. After becoming the fastest to 40/40, is more history ahead?

Eric Karros’ Top 5 World Series Contenders for the MLB 2024 Season

40/40 Club: Shohei Ohtani joins in record time, complete list: Ohtani made history again — this time in grand fashion. The Dodgers superstar hit a walk-off grand slam against the Rays on Friday night to become the quickest to 40/40 in MLB history.

The makings of a superstar: Inside Bobby Witt Jr.’s meteoric rise: Witt is putting together one of the best seasons from a shortstop in MLB history, and Kavner explores how mastering the mental game helped the Royals star learn to dominate the physical.

Inside Baltimore’s battle with title expectations: The Orioles were so far ahead of schedule last year that they’re now expected to win — big. Deesha Thosar examines how that pressure has defined their 2024 season.

Five burning questions: The FOX Sports MLB staff offers its takes on the MVP races, the NL West and AL Central races, the AL’s most reliable contender and Joey Votto’s Hall of Fame candidacy.

Power Rankings: Where do the best teams stand as August comes to a close? Ben Verlander offers his latest top 10.

Want more betting angles? The Dodgers are still the betting favorites to win the World Series, but which team isn’t too far behind them? Here are the latest World Series odds. Meanwhile, Judge and Ohtani are on the precipice of history. You can wager on Judge’s odds to reach 60 homers and whether Ohtani will become the first player in MLB history to have a 50-50 season. Stop by our betting hub for all the latest MLB odds!

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