Brandon Marsh delivered the go-ahead hit and Craig Kimbrel picked up his 400th career save as the visiting Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Atlanta Braves 6-4 on Friday to even their four-game series at one win apiece.
Marsh, who grew up in the Atlanta suburbs, lined a bases-loaded single in the sixth inning off reliever Joe Jimenez (0-1) to drive in two runs and put Philadelphia ahead to stay.
Philadelphia starter Taijuan Walker (4-2) pitched a season-best 6 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on 10 hits with one walk and one strikeout. The Phillies’ defense turned two double plays behind him.
After Matt Strahm allowed one run in 1 1/3 innings of relief, Kimbrel worked a scoreless ninth to become the eighth pitcher to reach 400 saves. He walked Michael Harris II with two outs, then retired Ronald Acuna Jr. on a grounder to end the game.
Atlanta starter Jared Shuster pitched 5 2/3 innings, threw 89 pitches and allowed three runs on three hits with three walks and five strikeouts. However, the Braves’ bullpen faltered, giving up three runs over the last 3 1/3 innings.
The Phillies jumped on top in the third inning when Nick Castellanos hit a fly ball that caromed off the brick wall in right field and ended up as a two-run triple.
The Braves cut the deficit to 2-1 with a run in the fourth inning on Eddie Rosario’s sacrifice fly.
Atlanta went ahead in the fifth inning on a two-run homer by Harris, his second, that went 413 feet to the opposite field in left.
The Phillies took a 4-3 in the sixth after loading the bases on three walks — one issued by Shuster and two by Jimenez — and scoring twice on Marsh’s single.
A run-scoring double by Trea Turner and a sacrifice fly by Bryce Harper stretched Philadelphia’s advantage to 6-3 in the seventh.
Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna hit his 11th homer, a solo shot, in the eighth. It is his ninth homer in May.
–Field Level Media
