ATLANTA — The latest series between the current top two teams in the National League East standings is all tied up. The race for the division championship is not, and that’s just the way the first-place Philadelphia Phillies would like to keep it.
Pinch-hitter Brandon Marsh’s tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning Wednesday ultimately lifted the Phillies to a 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves, who had been 3-1 winners against Philadelphia a night earlier.
Wednesday’s win pushed the first-place Phillies’ lead in the National League East back to seven games over the second-place Braves, who have won the division championship the past six seasons. The teams have five games against one another remaining in their season series, including another matchup Thursday at Truist Park to close out this three-game set.
“Every win is an important win,” said right-hander Aaron Nola, Philadelphia’s starting pitcher Wednesday, adding of the NL East race: “No lead is a big enough lead right now, especially with those guys over there. They always play us really good. It is always a challenge.”
Weston Wilson went 2-for-3 and scored the winning run after leading off the eighth inning with a double, and Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner each had an RBI.
Nola pitched 5 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out five batters.
“I tried to keep it at two as best I could and give the guys a chance to score some runs,” Nola said. “It was a good win.”
Matt Strahm (5-2) pitched a scoreless seventh to pick up the win, while Carlos Estévez earned his 22nd save of the season, stranding runners on second and third to end the game. Philadelphia improved to 74-52 overall this season, while Atlanta dropped to 67-59.
The Braves are 1 1/2 games ahead of the New York Mets in both the division standings and the NL wild-card race. The NL West’s Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres, both with 72-56 records, are tied atop the wild-card standings, with Atlanta in the third and final spot.
Atlanta left-hander Max Fried had his best outing in four starts since his stint on the injured list coming out of the midseason break for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game. He gave up two runs on four hits in seven innings, striking out four batters.
Joe Jiménez (1-5) took the loss after pitching the eighth inning for the Braves.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson was happy with his team’s scoring efficiency as the visitors generated a trio of runs despite having just six baserunners in the game.
“We manufactured all three of our runs,” Thomson said. “Wilson leads off (the eighth) with a double. (Bryson) Stott pinch-hits, long fly ball moves him over. Marsh pinch-hits, long fly ball, gets him in. That’s how you win playoff games.”
Atlanta’s Orlando Arcia hit his 12th home run of the season, and teammates Jarred Kelenic and Gio Urshela each went 2-for-4.
Arcia’s homer in the fourth inning opened the scoring. With Kelenic on first after a leadoff single, Arcia lifted a ball that barely cleared the wall in left field but gave the Braves a 2-0 lead.
He then appeared to stare at Bryce Harper while rounding first, something Harper did to Arcia while rounding second after hitting a home run during Game 3 of last October’s NL Division Series between these teams.
“I was just enjoying my home run,” Arcia said through an interpreter after the game.
Philadelphia reached the playoffs as a wild-card team the past two seasons, then eliminated the Braves in an NLDS both times after Atlanta received a first-round bye in the playoffs. The Phillies advanced to the World Series in 2022 and made the NL Championship Series last fall.
The Phillies pulled even in Wednesday’s game with two runs in the sixth inning after Fried faced the minimum 15 batters in the first five. Edmundo Sosa led off with a single, and Johan Rojas followed with a double over the head of Kelenic in left field. Schwarber knocked the first run in with a groundout to short, and Turner plated Rojas with a sacrifice fly.
The injury-riddled Braves have started the past two games with three players who have been released by teams this season: Urshela (Detroit Tigers), Ramón Laureano (Oakland Athletics) and Whit Merrifield (Phillies). Each had at least one hit Wednesday.
Atlanta catcher Travis d’Arnaud (wrist) still hasn’t played since being hit with a pitch during Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels, but he was available if necessary Wednesday. Braves outfielder Jorge Soler (hamstring), who is day to day with a potential return to the starting lineup later this week, ran the bases before the game, then pinch-hit in the ninth inning, popping up for the first out after Arcia’s leadoff walk.
Meanwhile, Atlanta reliever A.J. Minter underwent season-ending hip surgery Wednesday. The left-hander last appeared in a game on Aug. 11 and will finish his eighth season with the Braves with a 5-4 record, one save and a 2.62 ERA. He can become a free agent in the offseason.
In the series finale, the Braves will start rookie right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach (4-6, 4.04) on the mound as the Phillies counter with left-hander Cristopher Sánchez (9-8, 3.46) on Thursday night.