Joe Ross retired the first two hitters to start the bottom of the seventh before surrendering a 2-0 solo shot to Austin Riley to tie the game at 3-3.
After a scoreless eighth inning, the Braves brought in closer Raisel Iglesias to face the top of the Phils’ order. After striking out Schwarber, Iglesias left a first pitch slider in the zone that Turner sent just over the wall in left.
After retiring the last batter in the eighth, Jose Alvarado stayed on to close it out. He got into some trouble with a couple of singles that left runners on the corners before striking out Sean Murphy to end the game.
Harper had two walks to go with his homerun. Turner had two hits and a walk and Kepler and Stott each had a pair of knocks.
The series decider is tomorrow night as Jesus Luzardo opposes Spencer Schwellenbach.
What last year some might have considered the “scheduled loss” game of the series turned out to be an early April prize fight between National League contenders as the Philadelphia Phillies (8-3) defeated the Atlanta Braves (2-9) by a score of 4-3 in the middle game of their first season series.
After a dismal 2024, Taijuan Walker has yet to concede a run in 10.2 IP across his first two starts of the season. Both he and Braves’ starter, Grant Holmes, worked out of multiple jams, stranding 11 runners throughout a scoreless first four plus innings.
Walker needed 94 pitches to get his 4.2 IP but stranded five runners and induced a double play, though Jose Ruiz did need to bail him out of a bases-loaded bind to end the fifth inning.
In the top of the sixth, Max Kepler, JT Realmuto and Bryson Stott strung together a series of singles off Braves’ reliever, Pierce Johnson, that produced the first run of the game. With two outs and runners on first and second, Stott hit a hard grounder to the hole in right that was ruled an infield hit after Ozzie Albies juggled the ball.
Ruiz would stay in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and relinquished the short-lived lead with a pair of walks, an RBI single and a sacrifice fly to give the Braves the upper hand.
With Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper due up in the seventh, the Braves went to lefthander, Dylan Lee. After striking out Schwarber, Lee gave up a single to Trea Turner to bring Harper to the plate. After six pitches and a 2-2 count, Lee left a fastball in the middle of the zone that Harper pounced on.
Phillies' starter Taijuan Walker managed to dodge a couple bullets to put up another scoreless outing.
USA TODAY
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