ATLANTA _ The Braves' biggest late-season series in five years got off to a good start Thursday night at SunTrust Park.
The Braves broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh inning on back-to-back doubles by shortstop Dansby Swanson and pinch-hitter Lucas Duda, added four runs in the eighth inning and defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 8-3 in a meeting of the top two teams in the National League East.
The win extended the first-place Braves' lead to a commanding 6-{ games over the second-place Phillies and trimmed Atlanta's magic number to four.
The series continues Friday night, Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon.
If the Braves win two of the next three games, they will eliminate the Phillies and, provided third-place Washington loses at least once, clinch their first division title since 2013.
Several hours before Thursday's game, Swanson was asked what type of atmosphere he expected in this series.
"I just expect a lot of energy, both on the field and in the stands," he said.
He demonstrated such energy by leading off the seventh inning with a hustling double and scoring the go-ahead run on Duda's double.
It was the second hit of the night for Swanson, who entered the game with just six hits in 43 at-bats over his past 13 games. But he also entered the game hitting .316 in the seventh inning or later this season.
The Braves' eighth-inning runs came on a bases-loaded walk by Swanson, sacrifice flies by pinch-hitter Charlie Culberson and Ronald Acuna and an RBI single by Ender Inciate. The energetic Swanson stole second base with two out in the inning and scored on Inciarte's hit.
Braves starting pitcher Kevin Gausman, who allowed five hits and two walks in the first three innings, retired the Phillies in order in the next three innings to stabilize the game for the Braves. He retired the last 11 batters he faced before yielding to the bullpen with one out in the seventh and the game tied at 3.
Reliever Jesse Biddle retired the last two batters of the seventh, Arodys Vizcaino worked a perfect eighth, and Chad Sobotka struck out the side in the ninth.
The Phillies used eight pitchers in the game.
Both teams scored in the first inning.
The Braves have walked more batters than any other National League team this season, and that tendency surfaced when the Phillies' second batter of the game, Rhys Hoskins, drew a walk off Gausman. The walk cost the Braves a run as a single by Asdrubal Cabrera and a groundout to first base scored Hoskins.
In the bottom of the first, the Braves gained the lead with help from the Phillies' leaky defense, which ranks last in the major leagues in defensive runs saved. Although the Phillies didn't commit an error in the inning, per se, two infield misplays helped the Braves score two runs.
The Phillies answered with two runs in the third inning to take a 3-2 lead, with one of the runners who scored having reached base via a leadoff walk by Gausman. Both runs were driven home with two-out singles.
A sacrifice fly by Johan Camargo tied the game in the bottom of the third.
