By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Phillies (7-9) will look to extend their win streak to three games — as well as even their season series record to 3-3 — as RHP Jerad Eickhoff opposes southpaw Jaime Garcia and the Atlanta Braves (6-10) Saturday evening at Citizens Bank Park.
Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson picked up his MLB-leading third win of the season in Friday's 4-3 series opener victory. The 2011 American League Rookie of the Year also lowered his WHIP ratio to a National League-best 0.708, with just three hits surrendered and no walks through seven strong innings. The win snapped the Phillies' seven-game losing streak to the Braves, their longest skid against their division rival since July 6 to August 6, 2012.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Atlanta Braves (6-10) | Philadelphia Phillies (7-9) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LHP | Jaime Garcia | RHP | Jerad Eickhoff | ||
| (0-1, 4.67 ERA) | (0-1, 2.75 ERA) | ||||
Garcia Career vs. PHI: 3-4, 2.82 ERA, 10 G, 8 GS, 51 IP, 42 H, 21 R, 16 ER, 2 HR, 16 BB, 42 SO, 1.137 WHIP
Like Eickhoff, Garcia suffered a losing decision in his season debut, followed by two no-decisions since. Garcia is tied with Pittsburgh Pirates RHP Ivan Nova for the fewest strikeouts among starters this season (8). In addition, the left-hander's 1.442 WHIP ratio is the ninth-worst among qualifying National League starters.
Eickhoff Career vs. ATL: 2-1, 1.54 ERA, 6 G, 6 GS, 35 IP, 25 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 3 HR, 7 BB, 24 SO, 0.914 WHIP
Eickhoff, 26, has thrown four consecutive quality starts dating back to 2016's season finale against the New York Mets. The right-hander has allowed as many walks as earned runs this season (6), including three home runs.
Starting Lineups:
| Atlanta Braves (6-10) | Philadelphia Phillies (7-9) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | CF | Ender Inciarte | L | 1 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S |
| 2 | 3B | Adonis Garcia | R | 2 | LF | Aaron Altherr | R |
| 3 | 1B | Freddie Freeman | L | 3 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L |
| 4 | LF | Matt Kemp | R | 4 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R |
| 5 | RF | Nick Markakis | L | 5 | 1B | Tommy Joseph | R |
| 6 | 2B | Brandon Phillips | R | 6 | RF | Michael Saunders | L |
| 7 | C | Tyler Flowers | R | 7 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S |
| 8 | SS | Dansby Swanson | R | 8 | C | Cameron Rupp | R |
| 9 | P | Jaime Garcia | L | 9 | P | Jerad Eickhoff | R |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 7:05 p.m.
- TV: CSN
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
Game Notes
- Since April 15, the Phillies are tied with the Miami Marlins for the second-best team batting average in the National League, .255. They have the most stolen bases over that stretch (6) and are tied with the Washington Nationals and Milwaukee Brewers for the most doubles (13).
- The Phillies are 6-7 this season against National League East opponents. They are undefeated through two games played on Saturdays and are 4-5 in night games.
- After finishing the 2016 season tied for the third-worst combined batting average (.239), Phillies outfielders currently have the third-best average so far this season (.299), with 38 singles, 20 extra-base hits, 30 runs scored, 27 RBIs and 20 walks spanning 218 plate appearances.
NL East Standings (entering April 22, 2017)
| W | L | GB | L10 | Streak | Home | Road | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Nationals | 11 | 5 | — | 8-2 | W5 | 6-3 | 5-2 |
| Miami Marlins | 8 | 8 | 3.0 | 5-5 | L2 | 4-2 | 4-6 |
| New York Mets | 8 | 9 | 3.5 | 4-6 | L2 | 4-6 | 4-3 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 7 | 9 | 4.0 | 4-6 | W2 | 3-4 | 4-5 |
| Atlanta Braves | 6 | 10 | 5.0 | 5-5 | L4 | 4-3 | 2-7 |
What's Next:
- Sunday, April 23, 2017: vs. Atlanta Braves, 1:35 p.m.
- Citizens Bank Park
- RHP Mike Foltynewicz (0-2, 4.26 ERA) vs. RHP Zach Eflin (0-0, 3.60 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
