The Philadelphia Phillies appeared to have everything under control for seven innings against the Atlanta Braves. Aaron Nola was dealing, the offense had built a three-run cushion, and Philadelphia looked well-positioned to secure another important victory in the division race.
Instead, another troubling bullpen performance turned a promising night into a painful 5-4 loss.
Nola delivered exactly the type of performance the Phillies needed from their veteran starter. He allowed just one run on four hits and one walk across seven strong innings while striking out five. After throwing 93 pitches, Nola was pulled with Philadelphia holding a 4-1 advantage.
The Phillies’ offense had done enough to put their starter in position for the win. Two of their early runs came against Braves starter Tyler Mahle following Atlanta miscues, meaning neither run was earned. Later, Derek Hill and Kyle Schwarber provided some much-needed power, with both players hitting solo home runs against reliever Dylan Dodd.
With a three-run lead entering the eighth inning, Philadelphia had every reason to believe it was headed toward victory.
Then the bullpen became the story once again.
BULLPEN WOES CONTINUE TO PLAGUE PHILADELPHIA
With the bullpen hierarchy continuing to shift, interim manager Don Mattingly called upon rookie Alex McFarlane to handle the eighth inning and bridge the gap to All-Star closer Jhoan Duran.
The decision made sense.
McFarlane had impressed in his previous appearance against Atlanta, needing just eight pitches—all strikes—to complete his inning. The hard-throwing rookie also had the type of stuff that could potentially overpower a Braves lineup that had struggled to consistently generate offense earlier in the game.
Initially, everything appeared to be going according to plan.
McFarlane got Austin Riley to line out to Hill in center field for the first out. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, that would be the only out he recorded.
Mike Yastrzemski followed with a single before Drake Baldwin doubled, putting runners on second and third and suddenly creating a dangerous situation.
Then Ronald Acuña Jr. delivered the knockout blow.
Acuña launched a three-run home run, clearing the bases and instantly erasing Philadelphia’s 4-1 advantage. It was his second consecutive day with a home run against the Phillies and another reminder of how quickly Atlanta can change a game.
Just like that, the Phillies’ comfortable lead had disappeared.
McFarlane was removed after surrendering the tying blast, and Brooks Raley entered to prevent further damage. Raley managed to escape the inning, giving Philadelphia an opportunity to regroup.
But the damage had already been done.
DURAN COULDN’T STOP THE BRAVES
With the game tied 4-4 entering the ninth, Mattingly handed the ball to Duran, trusting his All-Star closer to keep the game even and give the Phillies a chance to walk it off.
This time, however, Atlanta found a way through.
Ozzie Albies opened the inning with a double. Sean Murphy followed with a groundout that moved Albies to third, putting the go-ahead run just 90 feet away.
Riley then came through again, tripling to bring Albies home and give Atlanta a 5-4 lead.
Duran recovered to strike out Yastrzemski and Baldwin, but the Braves had already taken the lead.
Philadelphia now needed a ninth-inning comeback against Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias.
Bryson Stott gave the Phillies hope immediately, leading off with a single. Hill grounded out, moving Stott to second and bringing Philadelphia within two outs of potentially tying the game.
A wild pitch or passed ball then allowed Stott to advance to third, putting the tying run just 90 feet away.
Bryan De La Cruz stepped to the plate and hit a hard liner, but Atlanta’s defense was positioned perfectly. Shortstop Mauricio Dubón made the play, leaving Philadelphia with one final opportunity.
Edmundo Sosa was called upon as a pinch hitter, but he struck out on three pitches to end the game.
ANOTHER MISSED OPPORTUNITY
The loss was especially frustrating because the Phillies had played winning baseball for most of the night.
Nola gave them seven excellent innings. The offense produced four runs, including two home runs. The defense made several key plays.
But the bullpen couldn’t protect the lead.
Philadelphia has now been burned by late-inning struggles against Atlanta once again, and the problem is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. With roles in the relief corps being shuffled, Mattingly is still searching for the right combination to bridge games to Duran.
Kerkering’s struggles have already forced a change in his role, while Bowlan has also experienced recent difficulties. McFarlane was given an opportunity to step into a bigger spot but couldn’t preserve the advantage.
The Phillies simply cannot afford to continue wasting strong starts and competitive offensive performances because of late-inning breakdowns.
The defeat also carries added significance in the division standings. Atlanta has now secured seven victories against Philadelphia this season, meaning the Phillies can no longer gain the season tiebreaker over the Braves.
For a team with postseason ambitions, that makes every remaining game against Atlanta even more important.
Philadelphia looked like the better team for seven innings.
Unfortunately, baseball games last nine.
And once again, the Phillies’ bullpen proved to be their biggest weakness at the worst possible moment.
