What a way to start a homestand.
For those of us not in the sellout crowd on Star Wars Night, the crisp Apple TV cameras captured the first win of the season in the red uniforms. Atlanta remains a perfect 3-0 in Friday home games.
Grant Holmes threw 89 pitches to go six and earn the win, giving up seven hits, three earned runs on two homers, three walks, and striking out four.
Grant tossed two effective and efficient innings to start the game, setting down the Phillies in order in the first and working
around a Bryson Stott single in the second. He would run into trouble in the third as Trea Turner homered to right field, scoring Garrett Stubbs and giving the Phillies a 2-0 lead. The Phillies would threaten for more with a Kyle Schwarber walk and an Adolis García single, but no further damage was done.
The Braves had two singles off Andrew Painter (L, 1-2) in the first, but neither would come home to score. They didn’t have anything going until Eli White set the table with a single to start the bottom of the third. Five pitches later, Ronald Acuña Jr. tied the game with his second home run of the year. Seeing Ronald trot around the bases is already a sight for sore eyes, but doing so in his Hot Wheels-flavored accessories? An icon.
The stalemate would be broken by Harper, who led off the top of the fifth with a homer off Holmes. It would remain 3-2 Phillies until the bottom of the sixth.
Dear people of Battery Power, I cannot emphasize to you enough how routine and uneventful this inning was shaping up to be. Justin Crawford made a great play in center to rob Austin Riley, a Dom Smith single, a walk from Mauricio Dubón. Ben Ingram and crew were really trying to wish a big Yaz moment into existence, but it wasn’t meant to be. Two down for Eli White.
Except no, hold on. Not Eli White. By god… that’s Michael Harris II’s music.
And the crowd went nuts.
As they should! As noted in the lineups article, Michael is ridiculously hot. Five-straight-games-with-at-least-1-RBI hot. It was a stroke of fortune for the Phillies that his left quad was acting up, scratching him from today’s game. But here, Walt Weiss pressed the button to send out his star center fielder to face Painter, who was already on the ropes.
Ball one low and outside. Ball two high and outside.
Painter’s third pitch came in at 96.4 mph at the bottom of the zone, and Money Mike cashed in. He ripped it 105 mph for a two-run double to give the Braves the lead 4-3. They would never relinquish it.
As Truist Park went wild, a smiley Michael made his way back to the dugout, his job done and night over. Pinch runner Jorge Mateo did a great job stealing third and scoring on a wild pitch to make it 5-3. Ronald would follow with a walk. And only then did Rob Thomson make the stroll to take Painter out of the game.
Aaron Bummer and Joel Payamps tossed a scoreless inning in the seventh and eighth respectively.
The Braves tried to tack on some extra insurance in the bottom of the eighth, but Matt Olson would leave the bases loaded with a groundout to end the frame.
Robert Suarez came in to face the top of the Phillies order. He walked Turner to put the leadoff man aboard. He brought Schwarber down to a knee to strike him out and got Harper to pop out on the first pitch to Riley. A single from García brought Brandon Marsh up to the plate representing the go-ahead run. A wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third. But one incredibly casual groundout to Suarez later, that was the ballgame.
The Braves have a new win streak going (3). In contrast, the Phillies’ losing streak has hit double digits (10). Their hopes to end their current nightmare rest on Zack Wheeler’s shoulders – he will make his season debut tomorrow night against National League ERA leader Bryce Elder.
