Game Recap:
With the game tied at one in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Phillies got back-to-back-to-back home runs from Cesar Hernandez, Aaron Altherr and Odubel Herrera to put them ahead 5-1. Hector Neris struggled in the ninth inning, but managed to get Tyler Flowers to ground out to shortstop with the bases loaded to give the Phillies a sweep of the Braves, as well as their fourth win in a row.
What went right?
Zach Eflin started for the Phillies and pitched very well, allowing just one run on three hits in seven innings of work. Eflin struck out three Braves, walked none and hit a batter.
Cesar Hernandez's hot start to the season continued today, as he went 2-4 with the go ahead two run home run.
Aaron Altherr struggled in his first three at-bats, but made up for it in the bottom of the eighth with a solo home run, giving him a hitting streak of seven games in a row now.
Odubel Herrera also had a rough go of things until the Phillies got into the Atlanta bullpen, but once they got there, he took advantage. His home run in the bottom of the eighth gave the Phillies back-to back-to-back home runs, and put the team up 5-1. He finished the game 1-4 with that home run.
Freddy Galvis went 1-3 on the day with the first RBI of the game for the Phillies. His hit in the bottom of the seventh inning extended his hitting streak to eight games.
Daniel Nava went 1-2 with two walks and a run scored.
Joely Rodriguez picked up the win in relief, and he earned it, as he struck out Brandon Phillips in the top of the eighth inning with a runner on third and the game still tied at one.
What went wrong?
Maikel Franco went 0-4.
Andrew Knapp went 0-3, including hitting into a rally killing double play in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Hector Neris pitched the top of the ninth inning, but it wasn't pretty. He allowed a run on two hits, two walks and a balk. He did strike out a batter, but did not have his best stuff on the mound today.
The Phillies as a team struggled against Atlanta starter Mike Foltynewicz. Through six innings, the Phillies lineup struck out nine times and only had one base hit.
Game Analysis:
For the first seven and a half innings of this game, it appeared as if this game was going to be a defensive minded pitchers' duel. Zach Eflin pitched very well against the Braves, allowing just a solo home run in the seventh inning to Matt Kemp, but Mike Foltynewicz was just as good, as he gave up just a single run to the Phillies in his seven innings of work. Going into the bottom of the eighth, the Phillies were looking for just a single run to take the lead for the first time in the game, and when Michael Saunders doubled to start the inning, things were looking up.
Things only got better from there. Cesar Hernandez followed Saunders to the plate, and he hit a pitch into the first row of seats in right field to give the Phillies a 3-1 lead. From there, Aaron Altherr and Odubel Herrera finished the inning with two more home runs, giving the Phils their first back-to-back-to-back home runs since 2008, and a sweep of the Braves looked to be well in hand. Hector Neris struggled quite a bit in the top of the ninth, but he had just enough to get the job done, and the Phillies took their fourth straight game, and earned their first sweep of the season with a 5-2 win over Atlanta.
It's a shame that Zach Eflin wasn't able to get the win in this game. In just his second start of the season, Eflin pitched extremely well. He only struck out three batters, but didn't walk anyone, and needed just 89 pitches to get through his seven innings of work. The only mistake that he made was in the top of the seventh inning, when he left a belt high fastball right across the middle of the plate to Matt Kemp. Kemp launched the ball into right field, and that gave the Braves the lead for a short period of time. With that one pitch being left to the side, however, you can't help but appreciate how well Eflin pitched not just today, but also in his first start of the year against the Mets. After undergoing surgery on both his knees in the offseason, it's great to see this young man pitching without pain for the first time in his major league career. It's a small sample size, but so far, things are looking good for the 23 year old. One thing is certainly for sure; he's much better than Clay Buchholz.
The Phillies were certainly glad to see Mike Foltynewicz leave the game in the top of the eighth inning, because the Atlanta starter seemed to have just about everyone's number at the plate today. Aaron Altherr struck out three times against the tall right hander, Odubel Herrera fanned twice, and before the bottom of the seventh inning, only Cesar Hernandez and Daniel Nava had reached base against him. In the bottom of the seventh, the Phillies finally looked like that had his timing down, as they strung together three straight hits from Nava, Brock Stassi and Freddy Galvis to tie the game at one. Despite a double play ground out from Andrew Knapp, the offensive burst in the inning was enough to chase Foltynewicz from the game and open the door to the back-to-back-to-back home runs in the eighth inning.
I don't know what's gotten into both Cesar Hernandez and Aaron Altherr this April, but it's been fun to watch. At the end of today's game Hernandez was tied for the National League lead in hits, with 27, and he also has four home runs and 10 RBI. Considering he had just six home runs and 39 RBI all of last season, this improved offensive output is something that Phillies fans are loving right now, and is a very welcome sight to the top of the lineup. At the same time, Altherr is looking more and more like an every day starter, as he picked up the baton that was dropped by Howie Kendrick and is running with it. With Kendrick out due to injury, Altherr has emerged, hitting .364 with two home runs, six RBI and two stolen bases. While he did struggle in his first three at-bats today, the fact that he was able to come back with a home run in the eighth inning today showed that he can compose himself, and it certainly looks like he's making the most of this opportunity.
While the Phillies did win, the back end of the bullpen was once again a cause for concern. Hector Neris didn't have his best stuff today, and the Braves took advantage, scoring a run and loading the bases with just one out in the ninth. Luckily, Neris was able to get Dansby Swanson to pop out to center on the first pitch thrown to him, and then he retired Tyler Flowers on a ground ball to shortstop to end the game. Manager Pete Mackanin doesn't really have a great choice for a closer out of the bullpen right now, as Jeanmar Gomez doesn't have closer stuff, and Joaquin Benoit already struggled in the ninth as well. If Neris keeps this pace up, the ninth inning is going to be even rougher on Phillies fans everywhere. However, four straight wins is still four straight wins, and with the Phillies sitting on a 9-9 record, there's a lot to be happy about with this team at the moment.
The Phillies have an off day tomorrow, and then start a three game series against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night. Wei-Yin Chen (2-0, 3.94 ERA) is scheduled to be the starter for Miami, while Vince Velasquez (0-2, 7.20 ERA) gets the start for Philadelphia.
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