Braves Power Past Phillies with Trio of Second-Inning Homers to Secure Series Win
The Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves squared off in the series rubber match on Sunday afternoon at Truist Park following a split of the first two games of the weekend series. With three weeks since his comeback from a left hamstring injury, shortstop Trea Turner got the Phillies off to a great start in the series opener, hitting two home runs to help lead the team to an 8-6 victory. Yesterday, in the second game of the series, the Braves prevailed 5-1 thanks to rookie pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach, who went six solid innings and gave up only one run. During the afternoon's rubber game, the Braves quickly took control of the game, hitting three home runs in the second inning to win 6-0 and grab the series win to lower the Phillies' lead in the NL East division to eight games.
The Braves took an early lead in the game when Adam Duvall hit a home run into left field off of Michael Mercado, the starting pitcher for the Phillies, in the second inning. After Orlando Arcia and Eli White each hit a single, the Braves would take a 4-0 lead when Jarred Kelenic launched a three-run home run into right-center field. The Braves would not be done scoring in the second inning as Matt Olson would smash a solo homer into center field to further their lead to 5-0. In the sixth inning, White would add to the Braves' home run barrage taking pitcher Tyler Phillips deep to make the score 6-0. In the ninth inning, Braves pitcher Aaron Bummer would close the door on the Phillies, giving the Braves a 6-0 shutout win.
The Phillies would struggle to find much success off of Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez, who would stifle the Phillies lineup, going six innings, striking out six, and giving up only two hits. For the Phillies, Mercado, who was making his second career start, would only record five outs before being replaced after allowing five hits, five earned runs, and three walks. The Braves, who have gone 19-19 without star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. due to a ruptured ACL in late May, will seek to close out the first half of the season strong this week, beginning in Arizona against the Diamondbacks tomorrow night. On Tuesday night, the Phillies will host the Los Angeles Dodgers to start a star-studded series at home.
