The Braves have given the Phillies a golden opportunity tonight.
Facing the Red Sox Wednesday afternoon, Atlanta blew a six-run lead in the eighth inning and a one-run lead in the ninth. The Braves led 7-1 in the eighth but three relievers gave away every bit of the lead.
The Red Sox swept the Braves, who have lost three in a row and eight of their last 12. If the Phillies can finish up the Marlins tonight (7:10 p.m. on NBC Sports Philadelphia), they will be two games back with 23 left to play.
The Braves' next series won't be much easier. They head to Arizona for four games with the Diamondbacks. In those four games, they'll face Zack Greinke, Patrick Corbin, Clay Buchholz and Robbie Ray. All four have an ERA of 2.70 or lower in their last three starts.
The Phillies, meanwhile, have the Mets at Citi Field this weekend. They adjusted their rotation to move Aaron Nola up a day. Nola will face lefty Steven Matz on Friday. Zach Eflin faces Noah Syndergaard on Saturday, and it's Vince Velasquez vs. Jacob deGrom Sunday.