PHILADELPHIA - Tommy Hanson pitched effectively into the eighth, Brian McCann homered and the Atlanta Braves beat the struggling Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 on Saturday night.
The five-time defending NL East champions are freefalling since Chase Utley returned to the lineup, losing nine of 10. They just got Ryan Howard back on Friday night and have lost two in a row, though the former NL MVP didn't play in this loss.
Hanson (10-5) allowed three runs and six hits, striking out six in seven-plus innings. Eric O'Flaherty worked the rest of the eighth and Craig Kimbrel finished for his 24th save in 25 tries.
Things are so bad for the last-place Phillies that even when they do something right, it looks ugly. Hunter Pence ran over third-base coach Juan Samuel on his way to scoring a run in the second inning.