Philadelphia Phillies’ Chase Utley, right, steals second base as third baseman Chipper Jones tries to tag in the sixth inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 21, 2012, in Philadelphia. Philadelphia won 6-2.PHILADELPHIA – Kevin Frandsen hit one of Philadelphia’s four solo homers to back Kyle Kendrick, and the Phillies inched closer in the National League playoff race with a 6-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.
Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz and Chase Utley also homered for the resurgent Phillies, who pulled within three games of St. Louis for the league’s second wild-card spot with their fourth straight win. Milwaukee and Los Angeles also stand in Philadelphia’s way with 11 games remaining.
Despite the loss, the Braves are in excellent position to secure a postseason berth. Their magic number for clinching a spot was five, pending the outcome of the Milwaukee-Washington game.
Kendrick (10-11) allowed two runs and five hits in 6 2/3 innings, striking out six. He is 6-2 with a 2.17 ERA since Aug. 14.
The Phillies aren’t going to win their sixth straight NL East title, but they have made a remarkable turnaround to still be playing meaningful games. When two-time All-Star outfielders Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino were traded on July 31, the Phillies were 45-57 and 13 games behind the second wild-card team. They are 32-17 since and have gained 10 games in the standings.