4 takeaways from Braves-Phillies: Ronald Acuña Jr. looks very back, the Phillies' bullpen could be their downfall and more

1. The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies split a four-game series, each securing two wins. The matchup between these familiar rivals featured standout performances and tense moments, but ultimately, the Braves maintained their four-game division lead.

2. Ronald Acuña Jr. had a significant impact on the series. After struggling with left hamstring tightness and facing challenges against fastballs, Acuña returned to form, tying the game in the 8th inning with a three-run homer against Phillies reliever Alex McFarlane.

3. The Phillies' left-handed pitching duo of Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo proved to be a formidable force against Atlanta's right-handed hitters. Together, they restricted Braves batters to a combined 10-for-59 with only two doubles and no home runs during the series.

4. Philadelphia's pitching staff, particularly starters Aaron Nola and Matt Wheeler, demonstrated resilience. They both managed to keep Atlanta's left-handed batters relatively quiet, with Nola allowing just one hit and Wheeler limiting them to a single hit. However, the Phillies' bullpen has been a cause for concern, allowing seven earned runs over eight innings, raising questions about the reliability of their relief corps for the postseason.