Michael Harris II went 3-for-3 with a home run and two runs scored and the Braves bullpen pitched 4 1/3 shutout innings en route to a 4-2 win over the Phillies on Sunday night at Citizens Bank Park. In defeating Philadelphia on Sunday Night Baseball, Atlanta completed its first sweep of the Phillies on the road since 2016.
Here's how it happened.
The Phillies struggled mightily with runners in scoring position
Philadelphia left nine men on the bases and went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position on Sunday. Unfortunately for the Phillies, that was a trend all series against the Braves. All told, the Phillies lineup left 24 men on the bases and went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position in the three defeats to the Braves. Philadelphia scored just three runs and struck out 22 times.
On more than one instance on Sunday night, you could hear cries of exasperation from the fans at Citizens Bank Park, and it's not difficult to understand why. The Braves have been one of the best teams in baseball largely because of their offense, so the Phillies knew they were going to need to put some runs on the board to have a chance.
The fact that the Phillies' three runs came on two home runs shows just how dependent on the long ball this team can be at times. That said, give the Braves' pitching, both starters and bullpen, credit for a game plan well-executed (more on that later).
The Braves beat the Phillies with small ball and the home run
First, the Braves announced they had arrived in the City of Brotherly Love by bludgeoning four home runs and tagging Phillies' starter Taijuan Walker for seven earned runs in Friday’s opening game of the series. Then, Atlanta put together some timely hits, collecting all three of their runs with two outs on Saturday. On Sunday night, it was a mix of small ball and the long ball for Atlanta. A Michael Harris II solo homer got the Braves on the board in the top of the third inning. Then, a pair of singles to start the top of the fifth chased Phillies' starter Andrew Painter from the game.
Atlanta proceeded to take the lead on a pair of grounders that didn't even leave the infield, the first a fielder's choice, the second an infield single. Ozzie Albies then doubled to give the Braves a 4-2 lead they would not relinquish. If the theme for the Phillies' offense was strikeouts, the theme for Atlanta's hitters was the exact opposite: putting the ball in play.
This Braves offense is one of the best in baseball and truly comes at you in waves. Ronald Acuña starting to heat up makes the lineup that much more treacherous to navigate.
Take a bow, Braves' pitching staff
Atlanta's starters allowed just three earned runs all series long. The bullpen surrendered zero. And the game plan was clear. Braves pitchers eschewed fastballs for off-speed and breaking pitches, using their heaters sparingly while keeping Philadelphia's sluggers off balance with a steady diet of sliders and changeups. In the first two games of the series, just 25% of the pitches thrown by Braves hurlers were fastballs.
That formula continued Sunday.
Plus, Braves manager Walt Weiss pushed all the right buttons in the bullpen after starter Grant Holmes gave him just 4 2/3 innings. He went with three right-handers and two southpaws out of the 'pen, with sinkerballer Aaron Bummer, slider-heavy Tyler Kinley, lefty Dylan Lee, the hard-throwing Robert Suarez and finally, closer Raisel Iglesias combining to blank the Phillies. The group as a whole pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings to lead Atlanta to a sweep that already puts them 6 1/2 games over Philadelphia and five games over the Marlins and Nationals.
Braves vs. Phillies Sunday Night Baseball live blog
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Braves Swept Phillies at Citizens Bank Park for First Time in 10 Years .
