It wasn't long ago that the Atlanta Braves were floundering around at 8-12, near the NL East basement. A 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday night, however, gave them a series win over the top team in division, and also their 12th win in their last 16 games.
Braves Vs. Phillies: Freddie Freeman Helps Power Atlanta To Series Win
With Cole Hamels going up against Jair Jurrjens, this one looked like a potential pitchers duel from the start, and that's more or less how things played out. The Braves did strike in the top of the second when Alex Gonzalez took Hamels yard with a runner on base, for his fifth home run of the season.
The Phillies got a run back in the third on an RBI single by Placido Polanco, but then Freddie Freeman blasted a solo shot off Hamels in the fifth to restore the Braves' two-run lead.
Behind 3-1, the Phillies had potential rallies cut short by double plays in both the sixth and seventh, and the Braves put things out of reach (as it turned out) in the top of the eighth when Eric Hinske drilled a two-run pinch-hit homer off reliever Michael Stutes. While the Phillies managed to bring the tying run to the plate in the bottom half, John Mayberry flew out to right-center to end the threat. The Phillies brought the tying run to the plate again in the ninth against closer Craig Kimbrel, but Kimbrel struck out Shane Victorino on a questionable outside fastball, and Polanco subsequently popped out to end the game.
At 20-16, the Braves are playing with confidence, and now they’ll return to Atlanta to begin a long homestand. The 22-11 Phillies, meanwhile, are off to Florida.
For more on the Braves and Phillies, please check out team blogs Talking Chop and The Good Phight.
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