In a back-and-forth series between National League East contenders, the Atlanta Braves threw the most recent punch.
The Philadelphia Phillies hope to punch back Monday when they conclude their four-game home series against the first-place Braves.
Atlanta won Friday’s opener 5-2 before Philadelphia bounced back with a 4-2 victory in Saturday’s affair. The Phillies then looked like they had Sunday’s matinee under control with a 4-1 lead in the eighth inning, but the Braves rallied, scoring the final four runs to escape with a 5-4 triumph.
Ronald Acuna Jr. had the big knock with a three-run homer against Alex McFarlane in the eighth. Austin Riley’s RBI triple plated the decisive run against Jhoan Duran in the ninth, as the Braves (85-58) moved five games ahead of the Phillies (80-63) in the NL East.
Acuna took more than 30 seconds to circle the bases after his game-tying blast, and then he gave himself a curtain call to rile up the Philadelphia crowd.
“I love the fans from Philly because they boo me,” Acuna said. “So, that’s motivation. I enjoy the environment.”
Acuna knows this is a big series between the Braves and Phillies, both of whom have 19 games remaining. After Monday’s matchup, the teams play each other three more times in Atlanta next weekend.
“I don’t think it matters where you’re playing,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “You have to embrace being in hostile environments. In the postseason, every environment is like that. The great ones have a flair for the dramatic.”
McFarlane, who entered with a 0.79 ERA in his first 11 appearances, knows that Monday is another day for the Phillies.
“Come to the field the next day, flush it and believe in yourself,” McFarlane said. “Don’t let that moment define you. Accept failure for what it is and continue to keep pushing.”
Kyle Schwarber, who has homered in each of the last two games, enters Monday’s contest with a major league-leading 42 home runs. He hopes to add to that total against Braves starter Grant Holmes (9-5, 3.62 ERA).
The right-hander retired all nine batters he faced Wednesday against the Washington Nationals before a lengthy rain delay prematurely ended his outing. He has not allowed a run in four of his last six starts.
Holmes has faced the Phillies twice this season — both in April — posting a 1-0 record and a 4.22 ERA in those two outings. For his career, Holmes is 2-1 with a 2.95 ERA in six games (three starts) vs. Philadelphia.
Jesus Luzardo (13-5, 3.02) counters for the Phillies, looking to build on a tremendous run in his last six starts. Over that stretch, the All-Star left-hander is 4-0 with a 1.32 ERA.
“I’m super happy with the outcome,” Luzardo said after his last start, a 7-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in which he yielded one run over 6 2/3 innings. “Obviously, getting the win as a team, I think that was huge, giving us a little bit of length, saving the bullpen a touch. Great, great game overall.”
Luzardo didn’t face the Braves in either of the teams’ series in April. For his career, he is 3-4 with a 3.38 ERA in 10 starts against Atlanta.
–Field Level Media
