The Philadelphia Phillies suffered one of their most brutal losses of the season. Leading 4-1 with five outs to go, the Braves scored four times in the final two innings to steal it, 5-4.
For the Phillies, it was a missed opportunity to get back in the National League East division race. And interim manager Don Mattingly agrees with that sentiment.
“Oh, for sure,” Mattingly told 94 WIP’s Dave Uram. “Aaron (Nola) gets us where we need to go, seven solid innings. Then we get the two runs there with the solo home runs, and you feel good. It’s a tough one.”
The loss especially hurts, as Aaron Nola turned in one of his best starts of the year for the Phillies. Nola held Atlanta to one run over seven innings, putting them in position to win the game.
A win seemed even more likely after home runs by Derek Hill and Kyle Schwarber extended their lead to three runs. But the bullpen was unable to keep the Braves off the board in their two innings. It turned into a major shift that may have decided the outcome of the NL East race.
Phillies Suffer Brutal Loss to the Braves
The big moment of the game came in the eighth inning. Rookie reliever Alex McFarlane had pitched to a 0.79 ERA in his first 11 MLB career appearances.
“I think it was the right (move) for today,” said Mattingly. “(Jonathan Bowlan) pitches last night. We’ve been seeing the second day the stuff ticks down a little bit. Alex is rested; he’s throwing the ball good. We felt like it was a good spot.”
However, the rookie surrendered back-to-back hits to Mike Yastrzemski and Drake Baldwin with one out, bringing up Ronald Acuna Jr. as the tying run.
The Braves star battled through a seven-pitch at-bat, all fastballs, before turning around one at 100.5 MPH for a game-tying home run. Acuna took extra delight in that trot around the bases before giving himself his own curtain call.
“Just watching the at-bat, you felt like he beat them on most of those. And then the six pitches, the first one I felt he was on time. Maybe there it’s something different, but I’m just kind of backseat quarterbacking.”
The Braves added another run off All-Star closer Jhoan Duran. Duran missed over the heart of the zone with two splitters, and Atlanta capitalized with extra-base hits.
What’s Next for the Phillies?
The Phillies will have to regroup after suffering a heartbreaking loss. They’re still a virtual lock to qualify for the postseason, even if their hopes for a National League East division title suffered a crippling blow. Barring a miracle, they’ll have to settle for a Wild Card spot.
There is still one avenue in which the Phillies can secure home field for their Wild Card Series. That requires them to finish ahead of the Chicago Cubs in the standings and get the National League’s No. 4 seed.
Both teams are tied in the loss column at 63, so Philadelphia will have to outplay Chicago by one game. The Cubs own the head-to-head tiebreaker, taking six of seven back in April.
There is still one game left in the series to play out at Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia is sending left-hander Jesus Luzardo to the mound, while Atlanta will turn to right-hander Bryce Elder.
First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. ET for a Labor Day Matinee game.
Phillies Manager Makes Honest Statement After Brutal Loss to the Braves