Final Score: Phillies 14, Braves 4
When Didi Gregorius forgot how many outs there were in the top of the second inning — starting to walk off the field after receiving the ball at second base from Bryson Stott, thinking he had just forced the third out, rather than the second — it felt like it was going to be one of those nights.
And it was, but not for the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Atlanta Braves went up 1-0 when Gregorius started to jog towards the dugout rather than throwing the ball to first for what would have been an inning-ending double play. But to say the lead for the defending World Series Champions was fleeting Thursday evening would be putting it mildly.
Gregorius redeemed himself with a double in the home half of the inning, later scoring on an RBI single by Bryson Stott. It was all part of a seven-run third inning, that also saw Alec Bohm, Matt Vierling and Nick Castellanos drive in runs.
For Castellanos, his three-run home run was the first roundtripper since May 30, exactly one month ago:
The Phillies continued to pile on in the bottom of the third inning, with home runs from Kyle Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins extending the lead to 10-1.
Schwarber will be sad to see the month of June go. The 29-year-old didn’t quite match the 16 home runs that he hit in June of 2021 for the Washington Nationals, but he may very well be National League Player of the Month after homering 12 times in June:
After the game, interim manager Rob Thomson joked that tomorrow is June 31 for Schwarber and the Phillies.
Hitting cleanup for the second consecutive evening, Darick Hall recorded his first major league hit in the bottom of the fourth inning, a 407-foot shot:
With first baseman Mike Ford on the mound for the Braves in the bottom of the eighth inning, Hall homered a second time, extending the lead to 14-4:
Phillies pitching — which consisted of Aaron Nola, Jeurys Familia and Mark Appel — limited the Braves to just four runs over nine innings, more than enough breathing room given the offensive outburst.
With the win, the Phillies avoid the sweep, moving to 40-37 on the season, and finishing up the month of June at 19-8. The 19 games that the Phillies won in June are the most in a given month by the franchise since September of 2010, when they went 21-6 en route to clinching their fourth consecutive NL East title.
Still, the Phillies didn’t even have the best record in their division this month, with the Braves going 21-6 in June. Even though they were crushed by the Phillies Thursday evening, the Braves still leave Citizens Bank Park having taken two of three from their division rivals.
Both teams continue to look up at the 47-29 New York Mets, who were off Thursday.
Bailey Falter will get the ball Friday evening for the Phillies, who will welcome the St. Louis Cardinals, another team right in the thick of a crowded NL Wild Card race.
Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance
- Ian Anderson lasted just two innings Thursday, allowing seven runs in the second inning, which proved to be his final frame of the evening. Anderson — who was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, two picks after Mickey Moniak — has a 5.31 ERA in 2022.
- Aaron Nola struck out eight batters over seven innings. While he gave up four earned runs, it really should have been three, because Gregorius should have turned the inning-ending double play in the top of the second inning. No harm, Nola appears destined to head to the All-Star Game for the first time since 2018.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- July 1 vs. St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park
- 6:05 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia, MLB Network (out of market only)
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
MORE FROM PHILLIES NATION
- Phillies 2022 Walk-Up Songs
- For Mark Appel, ‘All Of This Is Gravy’
- Nightengale: Talent Evaluators Predict Trea Turner To Sign With Phillies This Offseason
- Bryce Harper Reveals What He Texted Blake Snell After Being Hit
- 4 Lefty Relievers The Phillies Could Target At The Trade Deadline
- IronPigs Could Leave Lehigh Valley Without Stadium Upgrades, Per GM
- Before His Walk-Off, Rhys Hoskins And His Wife Jayme ‘Went Yard’ For MDA
- Jean Segura: ‘I Would Love To Finish My Career In Philadelphia’
- MLB Draft Analyst Keith Law Mocks Kumar Rocker To The Phillies
- Bryce Harper On Trea Turner: ‘I’m Excited To See Where He Goes Next Year’
Latest Comments