ATLANTA - Odúbel Herrera hit a three-run homer in his team's six-run first inning, and the streaking Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 12-2 on Friday night in their top-scoring game this season.
Boosted by the return of Bryce Harper and Jean Segura from injuries, the Phillies set a season high with 16 hits.
J.T. Realmuto had three hits, including a two-run homer, and Segura drove in two runs with four hits. The Phillies, who are atop the National League East Division standings, stretched their winning streak to five games.
"It was a great day for me, and it was a great day for the team, too," Segura said.
Herrera is attempting to secure the starting job in center field, an unstable position for the Phillies this season.
"We've just seen better swings and the ball jumping off his bat gap to gap," Phillies manager Joe Girardi said. "That was a big three-run homer for him tonight, and us."
Herrera's emergence as a power hitter could add depth to the Phillies' lineup.
"You've got me hitting seventh and Odubel eighth," Segura said. "It shows you how deep a lineup we have. It's one of the best lineups I've ever played with."
The attendance was 38,952 as the Braves allowed 100% capacity at Truist Park for the first time since before the coronavirus pandemic. The big crowd was not a sellout but almost doubled the season's previous high of 20,673 against Arizona on April 25.
Zach Eflin (2-1) gave up a second-inning home run to Dansby Swanson. It was a rare mistake for Eflin, who allowed two runs and five hits in 6 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts.
Atlanta starter Charlie Morton (2-2) didn't survive the first inning, recording only two outs. All six runs were unearned, thanks to a passed ball by rookie William Contreras that allowed Rhys Hoskins to reach on a strikeout. Alec Bohm's bases-loaded single drove in the first run.
Morton was pulled by manager Brian Snitker after walking Eflin.
"It's a tough pill to swallow when you get taken out in the first inning," Morton said. "It's not like he took me out after giving up a couple runs. He took me out after I gave up six runs."
Eflin's first-inning walk off Morton was the first of his MLB career.
"I didn't know it was the first of my career," Eflin said. "I know I'm not a walker."
He entered the game with a .141 career batting average with 84 strikeouts.
The Braves were back home after a wildly uneven road trip: They were swept in a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays but then swept the Washington Nationals in three games.
Philadelphia's Segura had a two-run single in the first in his return from the 10-day injured list with a right quadriceps strain. Harper had two hits, including a double, after missing four games with a sore left wrist.
Ronald Acuña Jr. dropped a soft single into right field in the fifth to drive in Swanson, who doubled past a diving Harper.
Realmuto homered in the eighth off Carl Edwards Jr., who allowed three runs while recording only one out.
Josh Tomlin allowed one run in 4 1/3 innings behind Morton to save excessive wear on Atlanta's bullpen.
The Braves selected the contract of Edwards, who signed as a free agent with Atlanta in February and was released on March 25 before signing again one week later. Also, right-hander Edgar Santana was optioned to Gwinnett and right-hander Nate Jones was designated for assignment.
Snitker said lifting the limit on ticket sales was a sign of progress.
"It's going to be good for all of us," he said before the game. "It's another step toward normalcy."
There was a mixed response from fans to the Braves' request that face masks be worn except when actively eating or drinking. The team offered free tickets to fans who received COVID-19 vaccinations before and during the game.