The Phillies had a chance to secure a four-game sweep and extend their lead in the National League East to seven games on Sunday night. Facing the Atlanta Braves on ESPN, they got a well-pitched game from starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo, but their offense came up small, and the bullpen couldn’t get the job done. The result was a disappointing 3-1 loss.
Luzardo was dealing from the start of the game, retiring the first 13 batters he faced. However, the Braves’ starter, rookie phenom Hurston Waldrep
was matching him zero for zero. Waldrep had the Phillies batters looking uncomfortable all night, striking out nine batters in 5.2 innings.
The Phillies had an opportunity in the third when Nick Castellanos walked and Harrison Bader followed with an infield single. But Bryson Stott struck out, and Trea Turner’s single could only get Castellanos as far as third base.
Having Kyle Schwarber up in those spots is usually a good thing, but he did not seem to be picking up Waldrep’s stuff at all and struck out. Bryce Harper followed with a groundout to end the threat.
The following inning, they finally got on the board when Brandon Marsh got a hold of one.
Luzardo looked like he might make that lead hold up. He escaped a small jam in the fifth by striking out Nacho Alvarez and Sean Murphy and then cruised into the seventh before a two-out single by Michael Harris ended his night.
David Robertson came in and gave up another single before ending the threat.
Orion Kerkering began the eighth inning and as has too often been the case lately, wasn’t nearly as successful. He had some bad luck by giving up a leadoff single, but he made his own bad luck by walking the next two batters.
Tanner Banks was tasked with escaping the bases loaded, no out situation. He allowed the Braves to tie it up on an RBI groundout by Matt Olson, but a strike out of Ronald Acuna, followed by an intentional walk and groundout by Harris minimized the damage.
The Phillies’ bats were unable to answer back. Waldrep exited the game in the sixth, but the Phillies were no more successful against the Braves’ bullpen. They wasted Kyle Schwarber’s triple in the seventh, and went down meekly in the eighth.
Jose Alvarado was brought in to pitch the ninth for the Phillies, and Jake Fraley greeted him with an easy ground ball up the middle. Unfortunately, Alvarado got enough of his glove on the ball to slow it down and allow an infield single. A bunt advanced the runner to second, but Alvarado struck out the next batter. He looked on the verge of escaping, but left a pitch up for pinch hitter Drake Baldwin.
Unlike their comeback in the bottom of the tenth inning on Saturday, the Phillies’ hitters didn’t respond well to the deficit. They went down in order, and the sweep was averted.
While I’ll never complain about a 3-1 series win against the Braves, its annoying that they let this one slip away. And while it was utterly predictable, it’s still annoying that they followed up their 19-run outburst on Thursday with just six combined runs over the next three games.
They won’t have long to stew in the defeat. They’ll fly to Milwaukee tonight in preparation for a Labor Day afternoon game against the best in baseball Brewers tomorrow.
