Braves at Phillies
The top four hitters in the Atlanta Braves lineup have fueled the National League East leaders all summer, and the quartet of Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies, Freddie Freeman and Josh Donaldson look to continue assaulting opposing pitchers entering Tuesday’s game at the Philadelphia Phillies. The four combined to go 7-for-16 with two homers, six RBIs, three walks and six runs scored in Atlanta’s 7-2 victory Monday, lowering the Braves magic number to clinch the East to 10.
Acuna started it Monday with his 38th homer on the second pitch of the game, his 15th career leadoff shot, and finished with three runs scored to raise his NL-leading total to 116. Albies went 2-for-5, Freeman finished with three hits and leads the majors with 116 RBIs, and Donaldson blew the game open with his 37th homer in the seventh – a three-run shot as the Braves pushed their division lead over idle Washington to 9 ½ games. The Phillies, who fell three games behind the Chicago Cubs for the final NL wild card spot, lost for the fourth time in six games and were held to just five hits – after averaging six runs and 9.7 hits in their past 17 games. Right fielder Bryce Harper, who suffered a bruised right hand on a hit-by-pitch Friday against the Mets, returned to the starting lineup and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FS Southeast (Atlanta), NBCS Philadelphia
PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves LH Max Fried (16-4, 3.86 ERA) vs. Phillies LH Jason Vargas (6-7, 4.27)
Fried shined in his biggest start of the season in Thursday’s series opener against Washington, allowing just a first-inning infield single then retiring the final 19 hitters he faced across seven innings with no walks and nine strikeouts. The 25-year-old is tied for the NL lead in victories and has done some of his best pitching since the All-Star break, going 7-0 with a 3.02 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in nine starts. Fried has struggled in four games (two starts) against the Phillies this season, posting a 6.94 ERA with nine earned runs allowed on 14 hits in 11 2/3 innings.
Vargas has pitched well at times in seven starts since being acquired from the Mets at the trade deadline, giving up two earned runs four times but surrendering 13 earned runs total in the other three outings. The 36-year-old got a no-decision Thursday at Cincinnati despite allowing two runs on four hits with no walks and six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. Vargas, who was roughed up by the Mets for five runs on nine hits in four innings on Aug. 31, lasted just one-third of an inning against the Braves on April 13 after giving up four runs on two hits with three walks.
WALK-OFFS
1. Phillies 1B Rhys Hoskins went 1-for-4 Monday, and in 53 games since the All-Star break is hitting .189.
2. Atlanta RF Nick Markakis, sidelined since July 27 with a fractured left wrist, is expected to travel to Philadelphia on Wednesday and could be activated as soon as this weekend’s series at Washington.
3. Philadelphia LF Corey Dickerson homered Monday, giving him six longballs in 32 games since being acquired from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline.