Braves edge Phillies in NL East clash

PHILADELPHIA – If the Phillies don’t have to face Reynaldo Lopez again until 2025, that would be simply fine by them, thank you very much.

The Braves hurler, who has been an incredible story this season, being converted back to being a starter after several years as a reliever, kept the Phillies off balance for a third time, leading his Braves to a 7-2 victory and win the season series over the Phillies, which is important if the two teams finish tied at the end of September.

Lopez hurled six innings and allowed just one run – a solo homer by Bryson Stott. It was one of just four hits by the Phillies against Lopez. He added six mor strikeouts to his season total against the Phillies, striking out 22 batters in 17 innings.

“We got to lay off the slider and lay off that big curveball,” said Bryce Harper, who was one of Lopez’s strikeout victims Friday, although he led the Phillies with three hits. “He’s been really good all year. I think he’s done that to everybody. … I think we punched out a little too much against him. When you chase that curveball and that slider out of the zone it sets up everything else for him. We have to do a better job of getting him in the zone.”

Lopez (8-4) struck out Kyle Schwarber twice, and Trea Turner, Harper, Nick Castellanos, and Jose Rojas once each.

Schwarber has especially struggled of late. After seeing his batting average peak at .263 and his OPS at .899 on August 8th, Schwarber has done little since.

In his last 20 games, Schwarber is 10-for-80 (,125). He has an OPS 0f .417. He has struck out 33 times in those 80 at bats.

“I think there’s been a little bit of over-swinging,” manager Rob Thomson said. “Maybe he needs to get back to shortening up his swing a little bit and making contact.”

Harper, who revealed before the game that he is playing through wrist and elbow soreness which has forced him to wear a brace again for the past week, was the only member of the top four hitters in the lineup to get a hit.

Schwarber, Turner, and Castellanos were 0-for 11.

For the second straight game the Phillies fell behind the Braves 4-0, and there would be no rally this time because the Braves tacked on.

Ranger Suarez struck out the first five hitters of the game, becoming the first Phillies pitcher to do that since Cole Hamels in 2010, but then started to struggle in the third inning as Orlando Arcia and Sean Murphy hit-back-to-back homers off him to put the Braves in front.

He gave up two more runs in the fourth and exited the game after just 78 pitches. Thomson said the pre-game plan was to keep Suarez (11-6) at approximately 75 pitches for a second straight game because he didn’t go on a rehab assignment to build up. Thomson said that he will be extended to 90 pitches in his next start.

After Stott homered to trim the lead to three, Max Lazar gave up the first runs of his brief major league career, yielding a second homer to Arcia and an RBI double to Gio Urshella.

J.T. Realmuto hit a solo homer to account for the Phillies’ other run.

ROSTER STUFF

Alec Bohm missed the game with soreness and inflammation in his left hand that occurred a swing in the first inning of Thursday’s game. He wasn’t even available to pinch hit. The X-rays were negative, ruling out a fracture of the hamate bone, which the Phillies originally feared. That injury would have knocked Bohm out for the season.

Meanwhile, LHP Jose Alvarado returned to the team after missing parts of five days for personal reasons.

Thomson said it would still be two days before Alvarado is officially back on the roster. He added that Alvarado will address the reasons for his missed time on Saturday.

ON DECK

The Phillies turn to ace RHP Zack Wheeler (12-6, 2.74) to square off against Atlanta LHP Max Fried (8-7, 3.50) on Saturday. Note the different start time (7:15 PM). The game will air on FOX as the Game of the Week.