With two swings of the bat, the Philadelphia Phillies turned around their series opener against the Atlanta Braves.
The Phillies will aim to extend their lead in the National League East on Friday when they continue their four-game home series with the Braves.
Philadelphia leads Atlanta by six games in the division after coming back for a 5-4 victory on Thursday. The Braves held a 4-0 advantage before Brandon Marsh’s three-run homer in the sixth inning and Nick Castellanos’ two-run blast in the seventh gave the hosts one of their best wins of the season.
“It’s the Atlanta Braves, man. It’s an in-division opponent, really good organization,” Marsh said. “Huge win for us here at home to start this four-gamer off.”
The Phillies, seeking their first NL East title since 2011, have won five of their past six games.
“The guys just kept coming,” Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said. “I thought the at-bats were pretty good all night. They just kept battling.”
The Phillies hope to build on the momentum behind All-Star lefty Ranger Suarez (11-5, 2.82 ERA).
After missing a month with a sore back, Suarez returned Saturday in Kansas City and held the Royals to one run in five innings. He was on a pitch count (75 pitches), although that figure likely will increase Friday.
“Now we can go to six (innings) and probably 90 pitches (Friday),” Thomson said after Suarez’s previous outing.
Suarez struck out six and walked one while making 72 pitches to earn his first victory since June 8.
“He looked like he hadn’t missed a beat,” Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto said. “… He’s a calming presence in our clubhouse. When he is on the mound, we know we’re going to have a good chance to win the game.”
Suarez struggled in two starts against Atlanta this season, giving up eight runs in 10 innings. For his career, Suarez is 2-3 with a 3.72 ERA vs. the Braves in 18 appearances (nine starts).
Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson enters Friday with four home runs in his past five games and at least one RBI in six straight contests. He homered twice against Cristopher Sanchez on Thursday.
“We’re kind of into not winning series but winning games,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “Every one is probably as important as the next right now with where we are.”
Snitker will hand the ball to Reynaldo Lopez (7-4, 2.02 ERA). On Aug. 20, he limited the Phillies to one run over five innings with 10 strikeouts — his highest figure since 2019.
“I didn’t expect things to go as well as they did,” Lopez said through an interpreter after his performance. “The most important thing is that the team won and at the end of the day, I feel good.”
The 30-year-old right-hander has given up one run in 11 innings against Philadelphia this season. He has been particularly dominant against Kyle Schwarber, who is 0-for-9 with six strikeouts vs. Lopez in his career. Lopez is 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA in five career appearances (three starts) against the Phillies.
Lopez might not have to contend with Alec Bohm. The Phillies third baseman left the Thursday game after two innings due to hand discomfort that initially occurred on a first-inning swing. X-rays were negative, although Thomson said Bohm was sore and would need to be reassessed Friday.
–Field Level Media
