In yet another seesaw battle between these two divisional opponents, this time the Atlanta Braves ended up on the losing side. A home run by Trea Turner made all the difference in the tight game, resulting in the Braves narrowly losing with a score of 4-3.
As expected from last night’s anticipated pitcher’s duel that turned into an offensive showdown, tonight’s game began with limited scoring as both pitchers maintained a scoreless streak through the initial innings. Grant Holmes started strong, and so did Taijuan Walker until the third inning arrived.
That’s when the Braves got something going with two outs. Ozzie Albies and Marcell Ozuna hit back-to-back singles before Matt Olson coaxed a walk out of Walker to get him to load the bases. It was up to Austin Riley to make something happen but unfortunately for us Braves fans, Riley popped out in foul territory on a 2-0 count on a cutter (that both Ozuna and Olson laid off of in their at-bats), ending the scoring threat with the bases loaded.
Once that scoring opportunity was out of the picture, the Braves had no option but to proceed with the remainder of the game, hoping fervently that the baseball deities wouldn’t mete out their typical retribution for squandering a bases-loaded chance. However, fortune smiled upon them as the baseball gods showed mercy. Despite this, Nick Castellanos kept up his individual winning streak against Grant Holmes by getting a hit, followed swiftly by Bryson Stott adding another base knock which brought him level at zero hits with others — all while an impressive grab by Austin Riley on a hard-hit ball from J.T. Realmuto stood out in contrast. This sequence left Holmes in a challenging position. struck out Brandon Marsh to put an end to the scoring threat right there.
Holmes reached his pitch limit at 94 during the fourth inning and managed to return for the fifth. He appeared to have struck out Kyle Schwarber for the first out of the fifth, but what seemed like a swing-and-miss was ruled as a foul tip instead. The count went full, resulting in a walk for Schwarber. After this, Grant Holmes' game came to an end.
Aaron Bummer had the responsibility to keep the game scoreless and ensure that Grant Holmes' lineup didn’t get any runs throughout the evening. Fortunately for his team, Bummer rose to the occasion; he fanned Trea Turner and followed that with inducing Bryce Harper to hit an inning-ending double play—much to the joy of the spectators at the Cobb County stadium.
As all of this transpired, Taijuan Walker managed to navigate through the initial five innings without surrendering any runs. However, the Braves nearly marred his clean sheet when they filled the bases against him yet again with just two outs remaining. Following that, Walker left the game, leaving it to Austin Riley to capitalize on their second bases-loaded situation of the evening. Unfortunately for Atlanta, Riley failed to deliver another clutch hit during this encounter; instead, he popped out to shallow right field where the Phillies made an easy catch, thus concluding the second missed scoring opportunity for the team from Atlanta.
Following Aaron Bummer striking out the initial batter he faced in the sixth inning and subsequently conceding a single as part of his routine offering to the BABIP deities, we witnessed Pierce Johnson’s return after missing several games. Johnson nearly escaped a predicament with two outs and runners on base when Bryson Stott grounded towards center field. Although Ozzie Albies retrieved the ball, he fumbled it during the transfer process; meanwhile, Max Kepler took off on a full-count pitch, sprinted home from second base, and scored thanks to this error, putting the Phillies in front during the sixth frame.
The positive development was that the Braves quickly countered when the Phillies managed to score that run in an exasperating manner. Sean Murphy initiated the rally with a walk, followed by Jarred Kelenic reaching base on a one-out double. Unlike before, the Braves capitalized on this opportunity as Orlando Arcia stepped up. A ground ball that inexplicably managed to get past the fielder. both Trea Turner and Alec Bohm and found the outfield for a game-tying single. Michael Harris II then hit one deep and while it wasn’t a homer, it was productive enough to bring home the start-run triggered by a sacrifice fly Although Atlanta failed to score additional runs in that inning, the swift reaction was quite encouraging.
As the seventh inning began, Bryce Harper realized that his team was facing the Braves again – an occasion that always called for more agony. With a runner on base, Dylan Lee threw him a 95 mph fastball down the center of the plate, precisely where Bryce excels at making contact. He promptly sent the ball flying deep into the home bullpen area, giving the Phillies the lead in a single powerful stroke. Although jeering Bryce can be entertaining, you might prefer holding off your boos until they aren’t tinged with frustration following such a mighty shot towards East Point.
Once more, the responsibility fell heavily on the Braves to step up, and as usual, they rose to meet the challenge. This time around, it was Austin Riley who stepped up to bat and came through with flying colors. It appeared as though he was determined to compensate for his earlier misses during this game. absolutely mashed one From Joe Ross and sent it ricocheting off the scoreboard in the road bullpen for an equalizing solo home run.
In the eighth inning, Daysbel Hernández entered the game aiming to maintain the tie after performing well on Tuesday evening. Despite J.T. Realmuto reaching scoring position through a walk and a steal, Daysbel managed to leave him stranded. He achieved this by striking out the batter who attempted another steal and inducing a groundout from Brandon Marsh, thus keeping the match even.
As the game remained deadlocked entering the ninth inning, it became crucial for Raisel Iglesias to step up and secure extra innings at minimum. Given that the Philadelphia Phillies' leadoff hitters were next up, this also set the stage for another confrontation between him and star batter Bryce Harper. However, tragedy struck unexpectedly when Trea Turner, not waiting for Harper to bat, sent a powerful drive over the fence off Iglesias’ pitch; outfielder Eli White couldn’t make the grab as well. This resulted in a decisive home run putting the Phillies ahead. Disappointingly, despite fanning Harper—the third such instance in their rivalry—Iglesias found little solace in this minor victory.
Once again, the responsibility fell on the Braves to find a way to answer back during their half of the ninth inning since some key batters were due up soon too. However, despite this challenge, the Braves did not surrender easily. With runners at first and third base and only one batter away from loading the bases, Sean Murphy stepped up hoping to force extra innings—or perhaps achieve even more. Nevertheless, Jose Alvarado managed to strike out Murphy, sealing the game’s conclusion appropriately for Atlanta—with potential scorers left stranded on base.
The Braves' quest for a series victory goes on. Despite having multiple opportunities throughout the game, they ultimately couldn’t match the Phillies’ key clutch hits. Although Austin Riley hit a home run, the team felt agony watching those missed chances with the bases loaded. They really needed to capitalize on at least one of them. Moving forward, the Braves must concentrate on clinching the series when Spencer Stripling takes the mound for Thursday evening’s contest at 7:15 PM Eastern Time.
