Trea Turner’s 9th inning home run earns Phillies gutsy win in Atlanta
Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
The stars shined, and an unlikely hero continued to roll Wednesday night in Atlanta.
The Phillies battled at Truist Park in Game 2 of their three-game set against the Braves and bounced back after Tuesday night’s loss with an 8-5 victory.
They did not get lavish stuff from their bullpen, but Bryce Harper and Trea Turner picked them up in big ways.
Taijuan Walker made his second start of the season and once again was solid. In 4.2 innings, Walker allowed five hits, no runs while walking three and striking out five. He stranded five runners from the second through third innings, including maneuvering his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the third, forcing Austin Riley to pop out in foul territory to close out the frame. Walker exited in the middle of the fifth after losing his command a bit.
In 10.2 innings so far this season, Walker has nine strikeouts, walked four, and allowed zero runs. After being booed at the home opener, he has completely turned things around and has stepped up huge in the absence of Ranger Suarez.
For the Braves, it was Grant Holmes on the bump. He got off to a good start, striking out three in the first inning, all on the slider. Holmes threw 16 breaking balls to the Phils in the first, and 11 of them resulted in strikes. The Phillies had six swings and misses in the opening frame.
Holmes had ten three-ball counts and eight full counts in his 4+ innings of work, and ended up walking four, striking out six, and allowing zero runs on 104 pitches. The Phillies had 27 foul balls off of him. They worked Holmes, but were unable to make much happen.
When the starters exited, the bullpens were rocky, especially the Phillies’.
Ruiz returned for the sixth after finishing off the fifth inning, walking two batters, and allowing an Orlando Arcia RBI single that got by both Turner and Bohm. Bohm had to dive for it, and it led to him not covering third, which resulted in another run for the Braves and the lead on a sac fly by Michael Harris II.
I did not think it was a horrible play by Turner, but Bohm diving in front of him definitely did not help him out. Also, I am not sure why Bohm stayed on the ground for a second or two, rather than popping up covering third, which he just never ended up doing. Max Kepler could have come up firing to third and possibly gotten an out.
It was a tough night for Bohm on both sides of the ball, as he went 0-5 on Wednesday, pummeling his average down to .178 and OPS to .396. Since his two-run double on Opening Day, he has gone 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
Kyle Schwarber also struck out three times, and Brandon Marsh‘s average dropped to .143 with his 0-4 night. In total, the Phillies struck out 14 times, which is very unlike them here early this season.
In the top of the seventh, Harper picked up Ruiz. He walloped a 2-2 four-seamer 107.5 mph to right center field for a two-run home run to give the Phillies the lead.
He was due. It was Harper’s first dinger since Opening Day, and his first regular-season homer and RBIs against the Braves since September 19, 2023.
The Phillies’ bullpen continued to struggle.
Joe Ross entered the game, as Rob Thomson had to utilize him for two innings in a one-run/tie game, which really shows you where things are at with this bullpen at the moment. In his first inning of work, he tossed a Austin Riley a sinker right down the pipe, which he blasted to left to tie the game.
Once again, the stars of the lineup picked up their bullpen.
Turner selected an excellent time for his first homer of the season, taking Raisel Iglesias deep to left for a go-ahead homer in the ninth.
A big reason for the Phillies’ success early this season has been their timely hitting, and that showed Wednesday night in Atlanta with the homers from Harper and Turner. Poor outings from their relievers? Do not fret, the stars picked them right up.
Jose Alvarado entered with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, following Ross’ 1.2 innings, cleaning up his mess by getting Harris II to ground out.
He was sent back out for the ninth, and he earned a 30-pitch, four-out save after putting runners on the corners with two outs, and striking out Sean Murphy on a vicious cutter to end it. Alvarado’s fastball sat at 100.5 mph Wednesday night. He had not recorded more than three outs in an appearance since April 12, 2023.
It was a gutsy performance by Alvarado, and really summed up this entire game for the Phillies. His ERA is down to 1.29 in seven appearances.
The Phillies search for another series win Thursday night at Truist Park at 7:15 p.m. with Jesus Luzardo on the mound going against Spencer Schwellenbach.
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Benjamin Goldstein
Benjamin has been covering Philly Sports for Philly Sports Reports since 2017. He is a podcaster, writer, and founder of Philly Sports Reports. Benjamin is also an intern at the WBCB Sports Network on 1490AM. Through Philly Sports Reports, Benjamin has gotten the opportunity to meet Phillies owner John Middleton in his suite and be honored as the Philadelphia sports fan of the week for KYW News Radio. He hopes to be reporting on Philly sports as a full-time job in the future.
