After being swept by the Astros in Houston—managing just a single run across the three-game set—the Phillies arrived in Atlanta searching for any spark to reignite their offense and get back in the win column. Facing the Braves, who sit third in the NL East behind both Philadelphia and the New York Mets, the Phillies were desperate to show signs of life at the plate. They hoped this weekend series in Atlanta would offer the chance they needed to get back on track. Here’s how it all unfolded.
Although Friday night’s game was slated for a 7:15 p.m. first pitch, Mother Nature had other plans, forcing a rain delay of more than two hours. For the Phillies and their fans, however, the wait proved well worth it. What followed was an offensive eruption that felt long overdue. Philadelphia pounded out 17 hits and scored 13 runs—including a six-run outburst in the top of the third—to secure a much-needed 13–0 victory. In a rare feat, every Phillies starter recorded at least one hit.
Of the Phillies’ 17 hits, five left the yard, as Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, and Otto Kemp each homered, while Trea Turner went deep twice. Turner turned in a stellar performance, finishing with four hits, four runs scored, and two RBIs. Catcher J.T. Realmuto, though he didn’t homer, chipped in with three hits of his own.
Kemp’s home run—a three-run shot in the third inning—marked the first of his Major League career, a special and well-deserved milestone for the young slugger.
The 13 runs was the highest run total Atlanta’s pitching staff had yielded all season.
On the pitching side, rookie Mick Abel had been slated to start, but the lengthy rain delay led manager Rob Thomson to pivot to the bullpen. Tanner Banks got the start in Abel’s place and pitched two innings. Taijuan Walker then picked up the win with two innings of his own, before handing the ball to Alan Rangel, who closed it out with five innings and four strikeouts to earn the save.
On Saturday, weather posed no issues for the start time, and the Phillies sent Jesús Luzardo to the mound looking to extend their new winning streak. Luzardo (7–3, 4.08 ERA) was coming off a strong outing last Sunday against the Mets, when he went 6.2 innings without allowing a run and struck out seven.
While Luzardo didn’t quite replicate his previous outing, he came close, delivering a solid effort with five innings pitched, allowing two earned runs and striking out seven. Unfortunately for the Phillies, they couldn’t provide any run support during his time on the mound. Meanwhile, his counterpart, Spencer Schwellenbach, turned in a dominant performance, going seven innings, giving up just three hits and one earned run while striking out 12. Of his 90 pitches, 64 went for strikes, and at one point, the 25-year-old right-hander retired 15 Phillies in a row.
While the game remained close through six innings, with Atlanta holding a slim 2–1 lead, the Braves broke it open in the bottom of the seventh. They plated four runs off Jordan Romano, whose ERA has now climbed to 7.28 on the season. Romano loaded the bases, and catcher Sean Murphy made him pay—launching the first pitch of the at-bat 455 feet to left field for a grand slam. It was Murphy’s second grand slam of his career and the first by a Brave this season. Atlanta went on to win 6–1, collecting 13 hits off Phillies pitching, while Philadelphia managed just four hits of their own.
Hoping to clinch the series on Sunday, the Phillies handed the ball to Ranger Suárez. He has been nothing short of spectacular this season, and continued his stellar run with another strong outing. In fact, strong might be an understatement—Suárez dominated, going seven innings, allowing just one run on four hits, and striking out eight. His only blemish was a solo home run surrendered to Murphy in the bottom of the second.
Suárez is now 7–2 on the year with his ERA down to 2.00. The left-hander continues to bolster his case for a hefty contract when he hits free agency this offseason.
Along with Suárez’s stellar performance, RBIs from Turner and Kemp helped the Phillies edge Atlanta 2–1 in the series finale and clinch the series.
Across the state in Pittsburgh, the Pirates were handling the Mets with surprising ease, as the last-place club pulled off a sweep that caught nearly everyone off guard. Thanks to the Pirates’ help, the Phillies are back atop the NL East, with roughly two weeks to go before the All-Star break.
Philadelphia returns home this week, opening a series against San Diego on Monday before welcoming Cincinnati to town on Friday.
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