3 reasons Philadelphia Phillies can upset the Braves in the NLDS

The Philadelphia Phillies swept the Miami Marlins with relative ease in the wild card round, setting the stage for the MLB's most anticipated postseason rematch. The Phillies upset the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS last season after an improbable midseason turnaround.

Well, here we are again. The circumstances are slightly different — the Phils are the No. 4 seed, instead of the No. 6 seed, and the Braves are in first-place, not second, after a historic 104-win campaign — but nonetheless, it's a chance for Atlanta to exact revenge. Or, it's a chance for Philadelphia to assert dominance in the NL East.

Atlanta has won the division six years running, but the regular season is playtime. The playoffs are when the games really count, and the Phillies made it all the way to the World Series last season. The team is better in 2023, and there's a palpable excitement around the city. If it happened last year, why not this year?

The Braves are favorites. There's no way around it. That lineup is stacked top to bottom and there's every reason to believe MVP frontrunners Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson can translate their regular season success to the playoffs. The Phils won't have home-field advantage like the wild card round, and it's hard to ignore the air of history around the Braves this season.

But, the Phillies are an explosive team that is red-hot at the absolute perfect time. It's October and anything can happen. Here's why the Phils have a shot.

No. 3 reason Phillies can upset Braves in NLDS: That 'SEC stadium'

The Phillies are the road team, which means only two of a potential five games will be played in Citizens Bank Park. Still, that's better than zero. If the Phillies can steal a game early in Atlanta, with their best pitchers on the mound and a wave of momentum at their back, then home-field advantage flips to the team with the best home-field advantage in baseball.

ESPN's Jeff Passan dubbed CBP the "SEC stadium" of baseball due to the raucous crowd during the Phillies' Game 2 victory over the Marlins. The Braves are more accustomed to high-pressure environments than the upstart Marlins, make no mistake, but there's still nothing quite like the noise and energy of a genuinely psyched and confident Philadelphia fanbase.

If the Braves slip up at home, it will be exceedingly difficult to strike back on the road. Far from impossible, but difficult. The Braves' crowd is no joke either and the Phillies will have to take care of business in enemy territory first, but again — it happened once before.

It's called Red October for a reason. Not even the best team in baseball can escape it.