<img alt="Philadelphia Phillies v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8UYU74brzAkPnsIjQzyUOASWGAU=/0x0:4920x3280/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73536788/2167058295.0.jpg">
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
For the second night in a row, the first team to score three runs won the game. Unfortunately for us, it was the Phillies who got there first. The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies played yet another close game. This time, it was the Phillies who were able to come out on top as they squeaked out a 3-2 win over the Braves in order to even up the series.
For the second night in a row, the Braves and Phillies found themselves locked in a pitcher's duel where runs were at a premium. Indeed, Atlanta and Philadelphia both traded scoreless innings for the first three frames of this game. In fact, the first four innings of this game saw Max Fried and the Braves stifle the Phillies with a pair of slick double plays that snuffed out Philadelphia's scoring chances at the time. The double play in the fourth inning was especially impressive, as Gio Urshela, Whit Merrifield and Matt Olson all combined to get both Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner out to clear the bases. Considering how rare it is to see Trea Turner hit into a double play, this was an especially nice play from the defense.
The fourth inning ended up being a big one for the Braves, as they were able to light up the scoreboard in this frame. Jarred Kelenic led off the inningwith a single and then Orlando Arcia came up to the plate and got a hanger from Aaron Nola. Arcia took the gift and sent it flying into the seats in left field to make it a 2-0 game at the time. With the Phillies continuing to scuffle at the plate and Max Fried rolling, this felt like a pretty solid lead for the Braves at this particular point in the contest.
However, the good times would not last forever for the Braves. Once the sixth inning rolled around, Max Fried immediately found himself in trouble and the frustrating part is that this started with the bottom of the order. Edmundo Sosa led off the frame with a single and then Johan Rojas hit his seventh double of the season to set up a prime scoring chance for the Phillies. Sure enough, Kyle Schwarber grounded into a productive out to put the Phillies on the board and then Trea Turner hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game up at two runs apiece. Fried was able to get Harper to ground out to end the inning but that was still a very frustrating way to surrender the lead.
With that being said, this was a perfectly fine outing for Max Fried tonight. He ended up going seven innings and only gave up those two runs, with four strikeouts, four hits allowed and an incredibly dubious walk to J.T. Realmuto in the fifth inning. This wasn't quite Maximum Fried but it was the type of good, solid start that both Fried and the Braves have been looking for since his return from the IL.
Things stayed quiet until the eighth inning, which is when Joe Jiménez entered the game for the Braves and the bottom of Philadelphia's order once again got to work. Weston Wilson led off the frame with a double and then Rob Thomson called up two pinch hitters to get the runner home. Bryson Stott hit a fly ball to move Wilson to third and then Brandon Marsh hit a sacrifice fly to bring him home. The ABC baseball ended up working out for the Phillies and they exited the inning with a 3-2 lead — their first lead of series so far.
The Braves were unable to get anything going in the bottom of the eighth inning but the bottom of the ninth sure got interesting. Philadelphia went with Carlos Estévez as their closer for the night and he had an inauspicious start as Orlando Arcia coaxed a walk out of him to lead off the frame. Jorge Soler made a pinch-hitting appearance for the second night in a row but he popped out on the first pitch he saw — if you blinked, you missed it. However, Gio Urshela continued to ingratiate himself with the local fans by hitting a single immediately afterwards (his second hit of the night, mind you) in order to put the winning run on board.
Michael Harris II used up Atlanta's 26th out of the night on a productive out that moved both runners into scoring position. The stage was then set for Whit Merrifield to potentially win the game for the Braves with a base hit. Sadly, he was unable to torment his former club and the Phillies ended up getting the 27th out after Bryce Harper corralled a ground ball and stepped on first base to end the game.
We got another pitcher's duel and unfortunately for the Braves, this one went Philadelphia's way. The Braves had a scoring chance all the way back in the third inning where they had the bases with two out but Sean Murphy was unable to capitalize against Aaron Nola. While that's not the sole reason why the Braves lost tonight, you have to imagine that they would love to have that inning back since it could've potentially been a crucial frame for the Braves. However, moments like that are huge in low-scoring games where runs come at a premium and sadly the Phillies were able to get the job done — it sure wasn't pretty but they made it happen.
Atlanta still has a chance to win this series and they'll surely be hoping that Spencer Schwellenbach can successfully take the baton from Reynaldo López and Max Fried in this series. Tomorrow night's game starts at 7:08 P.M. E.T. and can be seen on Fox.
<img alt="Philadelphia Phillies v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8UYU74brzAkPnsIjQzyUOASWGAU=/0x0:4920x3280/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73536788/2167058295.0.jpg">
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
For the second night in a row, the first team to score three runs won the game. Unfortunately for us, it was the Phillies who got there first. The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies played yet another close game. This time, it was the Phillies who were able to come out on top as they squeaked out a 3-2 win over the Braves in order to even up the series.
For the second night in a row, the Braves and Phillies found themselves locked in a pitcher's duel where runs were at a premium. Indeed, Atlanta and Philadelphia both traded scoreless innings for the first three frames of this game. In fact, the first four innings of this game saw Max Fried and the Braves stifle the Phillies with a pair of slick double plays that snuffed out Philadelphia's scoring chances at the time. The double play in the fourth inning was especially impressive, as Gio Urshela, Whit Merrifield and Matt Olson all combined to get both Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner out to clear the bases. Considering how rare it is to see Trea Turner hit into a double play, this was an especially nice play from the defense.
The fourth inning ended up being a big one for the Braves, as they were able to light up the scoreboard in this frame. Jarred Kelenic led off the inningwith a single and then Orlando Arcia came up to the plate and got a hanger from Aaron Nola. Arcia took the gift and sent it flying into the seats in left field to make it a 2-0 game at the time. With the Phillies continuing to scuffle at the plate and Max Fried rolling, this felt like a pretty solid lead for the Braves at this particular point in the contest.
However, the good times would not last forever for the Braves. Once the sixth inning rolled around, Max Fried immediately found himself in trouble and the frustrating part is that this started with the bottom of the order. Edmundo Sosa led off the frame with a single and then Johan Rojas hit his seventh double of the season to set up a prime scoring chance for the Phillies. Sure enough, Kyle Schwarber grounded into a productive out to put the Phillies on the board and then Trea Turner hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game up at two runs apiece. Fried was able to get Harper to ground out to end the inning but that was still a very frustrating way to surrender the lead.
With that being said, this was a perfectly fine outing for Max Fried tonight. He ended up going seven innings and only gave up those two runs, with four strikeouts, four hits allowed and an incredibly dubious walk to J.T. Realmuto in the fifth inning. This wasn't quite Maximum Fried but it was the type of good, solid start that both Fried and the Braves have been looking for since his return from the IL.
Things stayed quiet until the eighth inning, which is when Joe Jiménez entered the game for the Braves and the bottom of Philadelphia's order once again got to work. Weston Wilson led off the frame with a double and then Rob Thomson called up two pinch hitters to get the runner home. Bryson Stott hit a fly ball to move Wilson to third and then Brandon Marsh hit a sacrifice fly to bring him home. The ABC baseball ended up working out for the Phillies and they exited the inning with a 3-2 lead — their first lead of series so far.
The Braves were unable to get anything going in the bottom of the eighth inning but the bottom of the ninth sure got interesting. Philadelphia went with Carlos Estévez as their closer for the night and he had an inauspicious start as Orlando Arcia coaxed a walk out of him to lead off the frame. Jorge Soler made a pinch-hitting appearance for the second night in a row but he popped out on the first pitch he saw — if you blinked, you missed it. However, Gio Urshela continued to ingratiate himself with the local fans by hitting a single immediately afterwards (his second hit of the night, mind you) in order to put the winning run on board.
Michael Harris II used up Atlanta's 26th out of the night on a productive out that moved both runners into scoring position. The stage was then set for Whit Merrifield to potentially win the game for the Braves with a base hit. Sadly, he was unable to torment his former club and the Phillies ended up getting the 27th out after Bryce Harper corralled a ground ball and stepped on first base to end the game.
We got another pitcher's duel and unfortunately for the Braves, this one went Philadelphia's way. The Braves had a scoring chance all the way back in the third inning where they had the bases with two out but Sean Murphy was unable to capitalize against Aaron Nola. While that's not the sole reason why the Braves lost tonight, you have to imagine that they would love to have that inning back since it could've potentially been a crucial frame for the Braves. However, moments like that are huge in low-scoring games where runs come at a premium and sadly the Phillies were able to get the job done — it sure wasn't pretty but they made it happen.
Atlanta still has a chance to win this series and they'll surely be hoping that Spencer Schwellenbach can successfully take the baton from Reynaldo López and Max Fried in this series. Tomorrow night's game starts at 7:08 P.M. E.T. and can be seen on Fox.
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