PHILADELPHIA -- Marquee names on the mound and a near-capacity crowd combined for a playoff atmosphere in South Philadelphia on Friday night as the Phillies kicked off their series with the Braves.
Cristopher Sánchez faced off against Chris Sale, two left-handers jousting for position in the National League Cy Young race. They kicked things off for their respective clubs to begin a four-game series with just four games separating the two in the division race.
It had all the elements to make this one of, if not the most impactful games in MLB this season - and it’s the first week of September.
A pitcher's duel was expected, and both starters nearly delivered despite both lineups' best efforts. Each starter exited after six frames, with the Braves barely holding on to a 3-2 lead. They would break through against the Phillies bullpen, extending their lead and taking the opener 5-2.
Let me be clear, Cristopher Sánchez was only shaky by his ridiculously high standards. Still, he has not looked like the same guy who was setting records in the early part of the season, mowing down hitters without surrendering a run for over 50 innings. But you don’t need ot be lights out every night; just give your team a chance to stay in it.
Despite the second frame looking like it was leading to a Braves shellacking, Sánchez settled in. He threw 15 first-pitch strikes to the 25 batters he faced, and only two Braves hitters faced an 0-2 count while he was on the mound. To put that in perspective, Alex McFarlane reached two 0-2 counts while facing just four batters.
“He seemed to get better and better as the night went,” manager Don Mattingly said postgame. “After [the second] he settled down the whole time and was getting better as the game went.”
Still, this is a good Braves team that can battle against anyone - the Phillies ace notwithstanding.
Sánchez ran four full counts, but was still able to exit with a quality start. In the second, it only took three singles and a walk to put a three on the scoreboard. That was enough for the Braves to win.
The Phillies left runners in scoring position in the second, fifth and sixth innings against Sale. “We gave ourselves chances,” manager Don Mattingly said postgame. “That’s really what you want to be able to do. A lot of games I’ve seen [Sale] pitch, you don’t really get chances.”
Alec Bohm did all the damage for the Phillies offense, recording an RBI double in the second and a two-out home run in the fourth - both on the first pitch.
Edmundo Sosa reached a career-high nine-game hitting streak after his fourth-inning single. He has a .429 batting average, .821 slugging percentage, and 1.305 OPS over that stretch. A nice turnaround for a key member of the bench who struggled early in the season.
The major difference between the teams tonight was the bullpen. Atlanta added two runs on a home run off Orion Kerkering. Philadelphia was retired in order by Braves relievers. Mattingly indicated that he still has faith in Kerkering despite his recent struggles because his stuff is that good. It comes down to execution in moments he needs it most.
There are still three games left in the series, plenty of time for Philly to gain ground on Atlanta. Tomorrow’s game feels even more important now. It starts at 6:05.
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