Phillies and Braves Trending in Opposite Directions Through June

Cover Photo: Getty Images

Despite being in second place less than two weeks ago, the Atlanta Braves have taken a four-game lead in the National League East over the division rival Philadelphia Phillies. Immediately following the signing of Dallas Keuchel, the Braves' odds to win the division were +140 according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Less than two weeks later, they are now the odds-on favorites to win the division at -230 on FanDuel Sportsbook.

After winning their first four games of the season, the Philadelphia Phillies have gone just one game over .500 since. The Braves, meanwhile, have had a completely inverse trend line. The Braves started the year 0-3, but have gone 16 games over .500 since.

Not only has Atlanta's play improved significantly since the beginning of the year, when shoddy bullpen work led to a couple of late-inning losses, but the team also made a key addition to its roster, signing Keuchel as a free agent. While Keuchel hasn't made his first start in a Braves uniform, he should be a major boost when he does take the mound, which could come this weekend.

The Braves made a statement in last weekend's series against the Phillies, taking two out of three and outscoring Philadelphia by 14 runs in the three-game series.

The Braves are 8-2 in their last 10 games while the Phillies have dropped six of their last seven and are now 3-7 in their last 10 games. If that trend continues, the Braves could run away with this division despite the hype surrounding the Phillies early in the season.

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Leo Abbe-Schneider is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Leo Abbe-Schneider also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Leoabbe2. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.