Another monster night from Acuña sinks Phillies
Final: Braves 4, Phillies 3
The Phillies, losers of three in a row, have seen their four-game cushion for a playoff spot drop to just two thanks to two tough losses against Atlanta. With no help from the Yankees or Diamondbacks, the two teams facing off against the Brewers and Padres respectively this weekend, it’s starting to get a little uncomfortable for a Phillies team trying to break an 11-year postseason drought.
It was the Ronald Acuña Jr. show once again. He drove in all four runs for the Braves and saved a couple on a fantastic play in the outfield.
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Aaron Nola held the Braves scoreless for two innings, but he walked Ozzie Albies to lead off the inning and then allowed a one-out homer to Ronald Acuña Jr. to put Atlanta up 2-0.
After the Phillies failed to score with runners on second and third with one out in the fourth inning, Acuña hit a two-run double to extend the lead to 4-0.
The Phillies got one run back in the top of the fifth inning on a Matt Vierling sacrifice fly, but a diving Acuña robbed Bryce Harper of a base-loaded hit that could have scored multiple runs.
The Phillies scratched another run back in the top of the seventh inning as Vierling knocked in Bryson Stott, who went from first to home, and made it a 4-2 game. With one out, Kyle Schwarber and Alec Bohm couldn’t capitalize on the momentum and the Phillies settled with only one run.
Nola came back in the seventh and promptly struck out the Atlanta side. In the top of the eighth, the Phillies managed to put up another run, this time on an RBI single from Stott that knocked Harper in.
Brad Hand worked a scoreless eighth inning, but the Phillies offense came up short in the top of the ninth against Kenley Jansen, going 1-2-3 to end the night.
Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance
Aaron Nola: 7 IP, 7 H, 4 R 4 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO, 99 pitches
Aaron Nola had a good night –if you take out those two innings where he gave up four earned runs. Give him credit for coming back strong and finishing seven innings for Philadelphia, but Nola dug his own hole when he let Acuña get to him twice.
Jake Odorizzi: 4 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 B, 5 K, 93 pitches
Odorizzi was tasked with keeping the Phillies at bay for a few innings, and that he did. Odorizzi wasn’t great, but he did just enough to keep the Phillies off balance and hand it over for the bullpen to finish up.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Sunday, Sep 18 vs. Atlanta Braves at Truist Park
- 1:35 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
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