Phillies at Braves
The Philadelphia Phillies signed first baseman Carlos Santana in the offseason hoping he would provide a power bat in the heart of their lineup, and the slugger did just that in helping his new team move into position to win a season-opening series Saturday against the host Atlanta Braves. Santana homered and drove in the go-ahead run in Friday’s 5-4, 11-inning victory while teammate Rhys Hoskins (18 homers in 50 games last year as a rookie) went deep for the first time in 2018.
Philadelphia's Scott Kingery - who signed a six-year contract Sunday - also collected two hits in his major-league debut as the Phillies won for the first time this season. Atlanta, which lost 13 of 19 meetings with the Phillies a season ago but won Thursday’s season opener on Nick Markakis’ walk-off homer, committed three errors and left nine runners on base Friday. First baseman Freddie Freeman walked three times for the second consecutive game, while shortstop Dansby Swanson collected three hits, drove in a run and scored once. The loss was particularly painful for Atlanta, which lost Kurt Suzuki when he was hit by a pitch in the right hand Friday - one day after fellow catcher Tyler Flowers left Thursday’s opener in the first inning with an oblique injury that landed him on the disabled list.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, NBCS Philadelphia, FSN Southeast (Atlanta)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Vince Velasquez (2017: 2-7, 5.13 ERA) vs. Braves RH Brandon McCarthy (2017: 6-4, 3.98)
Velasquez has struggled to stay healthy as a strained flexor muscle hindered him early last season and surgery to repair a vascular issue in a finger ended his season in August. In between, the 25-year-old saw his ERA rise by more than one run while allowing 15 homers in 72 innings across 15 starts. Velasquez, who finished spring training at 2-2 with a 2.51 ERA in five starts (14 1/3 innings), gave up six hits in seven shutout innings in his only 2017 appearance against Atlanta.
Acquired from the Dodgers in the Matt Kemp trade this offseason, the 34-year-old McCarthy battled shoulder, knee and finger injuries that limited him to three regular-season appearances after July 20. It short-circuited a good season in which McCarthy posted a 3.12 ERA with 58 strikeouts in his first 14 starts. Limited to 14 total appearances in 2015-16, McCarthy has been healthy this spring and finished camp with a 3.45 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP while holding opponents to a .193 batting average.
WALK-OFFS
1. Atlanta LF Preston Tucker collected two hits Friday, and is 3-for-8 with game-tying base hits in the eighth inning of both games in the series.
2. Philadelphia RHP Pat Neshek, one of the Phillies’ key setup relievers who was unavailable for the season opener with a shoulder strain, was placed on the disabled list Friday.
3. The two teams combined to use 16 pitchers Friday, and eight Philadelphia relievers held Atlanta to one run and four hits over the final seven innings.