Atlanta Braves’ Freddie Freeman, left, and Luis Avilan, right, high-five teammates after the Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-1 in a baseball game, Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013, in Atlanta.ATLANTA – Jason Heyward had a career-high five hits, including a leadoff home run, and the Braves rode a five-run first inning to post a 7-1 win over the Phillies on Thursday night.
The win pulled the Braves even with the idle Cardinals at 94-65 for the best record in the National League with three games to play. The Braves won the season-series against the Cardinals and would win the NL’s No. 1 seed if the teams finish tied.
Heyward had three doubles and a single to go along with his home run, giving him a career high four extra-base hits. Braves outfielder Evan Gattis had two hits and three RBIs.
After scoring just three runs in a three-game series loss to the Brewers, the Braves entered Thursday averaging 3.3 runs per game in September. They surpassed that in just six batters against the Phillies when Chris Johnson doubled home Gattis to give the Braves a 4-0 lead in the first.
Braves rookie David Hale (1-0) picked up his first win in his second career start, going six innings while giving up one run and striking out five. The right-hander allowed six base runners in the first three innings, but settled down after that and cruised to the win. In two starts since getting called up from Triple-A, Hale has given up one run in 11 innings.