ATLANTA _ Johan Camargo's stock soared earlier this season, and the Braves rookie provided another reminder why Saturday night.
Camargo's two-out, two-run pinch-hit double in the eighth inning lifted the Braves to a 4-2 win against the Phillies in the penultimate home game of the season at SunTrust Park.
Julio Teheran pitched seven solid innings and the Braves overcame a 2-0 deficit with a homer from Rio Ruiz in the sixth inning and three runs driven in by rookies Dansby Swanson and Camargo in the eighth.
Camargo went on the disabled list for four weeks after a freak accident Aug. 9 when he sustained a bone bruise in his knee after hyperextending it while reaching over to pick up dirt as he trotted onto the field before the first inning, a pregame ritual he's since abandoned.
After losing 12 of their first 14 games against the Phillies, the Braves have won their past four against the National League East's last-place team.
Teheran allowed seven hits, two runs (one earned) and one walk with five strikeouts in seven innings. He got no decision to finish 3-10 with a 6.86 ERA in 17 home starts, compared to 8-2 with a 2.84 ERA in 14 road starts so far.
But his performance down the stretch was encouraging for the Braves and their Opening-Day pitcher, who seemed to get past any mental hurdles that cropped up during his earlier home-park struggles.
After going 0-9 with a 7.36 ERA and 15 homers allowed in 12 starts during a four-month stretch from April 19 through Aug. 19, Teheran went 2-2 with a 2.84 ERA and two homers allowed in his last four home starts. The two losses came in his final two home starts when Teheran turned in strong performances but the Braves scored zero and one run while he was in the games.
One night after starting the first inning with six consecutive hits, the Braves had just five hits in five innings against Phillies starter Henderson Alvarez, who came in with a 7.20 ERA and didn't allow a run against the Braves. The Braves didn't score until Rio Ruiz's sixth-inning homer off reliever Kevin Siegrist.
The Phillies grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Nick Williams hit a two-out single and scored on rookie phenom Rhys Hoskins' double. Teheran recorded 10 outs in the 10 next batters _ including a second-inning Cameron Rupp double play grounder after a J.P Crawford single _ before Maikel Franco led off the fifth inning with an infield single and Crawford followed with a walk.
Franco advanced on a ground-out and scored on a passed ball charged to Tyler Flowers when Alvarez swung on an inside pitch that sailed to the backstop.
The Braves had scoring chances against Alvarez. Matt Adams flied out to the warning track with two on to end the first inning and Teheran grounded out with bases loaded to end the fourth inning. They failed to score after putting runners on the corners with one out in the fourth and after doing that again in the fifth.
Ender Inciarte led off the fifth with a double and advanced on a balk by Alvarez, who then walked Nick Markakis with one out. Tyler Flowers struck out looking with runners on the corners and Adams grounded out to end the inning.
But once Alvarez left the game, the Braves did what they've done often this season _ their offense awakened in the later innings.
Ruiz homered off left-hander Siegrist in the sixth, the rookie third baseman's fourth major league home run and 20th homer of the season including Triple-A. Ruiz has just 11 major league at-bats against lefties, but has five hits including two homers in those limited opportunities.
Adams put the tying run on base when he singled with one out in the eighth against right-hander Luiz Garcia. Pinch-runner Micah Johnson replaced Adams and stole second base, and Dansby Swanson drove him in with a single to right field. If right fielder Nick Williams' throw had been cut off by first baseman Hoskins, Johnson could have been thrown out at the plate, but he let the bouncing throw go through and Johnson scored easily.
Ruiz was walked intentionally and Lane Adams struck out for the second out before Camargo stepped up and came through with a double to center field that drove in both runners for a 4-2 lead.
They need to go 3-6 or better in their last nine games to avoid a third consecutive 90-loss season. The Braves' only streaks of more than two consecutive 90-loss seasons since moving to Atlanta were in 1975-79 (five seasons) and 1987-1990 (four seasons).
