(Photo credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images)

Less than one month into the 2026 season, the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies are two trains speeding in opposite directions.The Braves have won eight of their past 10 games and will try to complete a three-game sweep in Philadelphia on Sunday night.The Phillies have lost eight of 10, including 9-0 and 3-1 defeats in the first two games of this weekend set. Philadelphia had no answers for Chris Sale on Saturday, as the veteran left-hander allowed just one run over seven innings.'My main focus was really just following his lead and just trying to execute good pitches,' Sale said of his rapport with catcher Jonah Heim, adding he wanted to 'make good, quality pitches, because that's a hell of a lineup.'The Phillies managed only five hits -- including four singles -- and struck out 10 times against Sale and a pair of relievers. Philadelphia has a total of seven runs during a current four-game slide.'It's frustrating, but we've got to keep fighting,' said manager Rob Thomson, whose squad allowed three unearned runs on Saturday. 'We've got to keep fighting. ... But we've got to play better.'The lone offensive highlight for Philadelphia was a home run by Felix Reyes off of Sale. The homer came in the first major-league at-bat for the 25-year-old outfielder.Another promising Phillies rookie will take center stage Sunday as Andrew Painter (1-0, 3.77 ERA) will start following an unconventional appearance last weekend.The 23-year-old right-hander was supposed to start last Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but a migraine led to a late scratch. However, Painter felt well enough to come on in relief, where he allowed one run over five innings, striking out seven and walking one in his team's 4-3 loss.'I didn't know the extent of how long I was going to be able to go out, how good I was feeling,' Painter said. 'But I wanted to go out there and at least get a couple innings to take that (workload) off the bullpen.'

Painter has yet to face the Braves in his young career.Atlanta will counter with Grant Holmes (1-1, 3.32 ERA), who was pulled after allowing three runs in four innings Monday in his team's 10-4 loss to the Miami Marlins. Braves manager Walt Weiss later noted that Holmes had thrown 99 pitches in his previous outing and that he was looking out for the right-hander's long-term health.Still, Holmes wasn't pleased with his abbreviated performance.'I started rushing too much and being too quick down the mound,' he said.Holmes has made four career appearances (one start) against Philadelphia, posting a 1-1 record with a 1.17 ERA. He certainly doesn't want to let Bryce Harper get going. The Phillies' slugger had three hits in the series opener but went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Saturday.Philadelphia likely will be without J.T. Realmuto in the series finale after the veteran catcher felt some back tightness on Saturday.'We're checking on him now,' Thomson said after Saturday's game. 'I doubt he'll play (Sunday).'For Atlanta, Austin Riley has been a pest over the first two games of the series. He has multiple hits in each contest -- a pair of opposite-field home runs and four RBIs on Friday and two singles on Saturday.

--Field Level Media