Holy cow, the Braves just pulled off a wild 5-4 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday, and that late-game rally sent a clear message, pushing them to a five-game lead in the NL East. This team is absolutely rolling, man, and Philly just watched their division hopes take a serious hit.
Acuña’s Thunderclap Off McFarlane Changed Everything
Are you kidding me?! The top of the eighth inning was absolutely insane. Ronald Acuña Jr. stepped up and blasted a tying three-run homer off Phillies reliever Alex McFarlane, sending a 100.5-mph fastball deep into the right field seats. Just imagine that pitch speed, dude! That was his 16th homer of the season, and get this: it was the seventh consecutive fastball over 100 mph that McFarlane had thrown to him. Talk about a challenge, and Acuña answered with pure power. It was a 4-4 tie after that blast, set up perfectly by a Mike Yastrzemski single and a Drake Baldwin double. And for McFarlane? Man, he hadn’t allowed a single run since August 11, and that was the only run he’d given up since getting called up in July. Acuña just broke a serious streak, and it was epic.
Riley’s Clutch Triple Seals the Deal After Nola’s Stellar Outing
Then came the ninth inning, and Atlanta wasn’t done! Ozzie Albies legged out a double off Phillies closer Jhoan Duran, who dropped to 2-5 on the season. And then, Austin Riley stepped up and absolutely smoked a triple off the centerfield fence, giving the Braves that crucial lead. What a clutch hit to secure the win! On the pitching side, Dylan Lee earned the win, moving to a perfect 6-0 on the year in relief of Tyler Mahle, who gave up two unearned runs in six innings. Raisel Iglesias came in and locked it down for his 31st save. You gotta feel for Phillies starter Aaron Nola, though. He delivered a really strong effort, allowing only one run on four hits in seven innings. That was his eighth consecutive start giving up three runs or fewer, his longest such stretch since 2019. It’s tough to watch that kind of performance go to waste. Philly did get some power in the seventh, with Kyle Schwarber hitting his MLB-leading 42nd homer, and pinch-hitter Derek Hill adding his 10th solo shot of the season, but it wasn’t enough.
Man, what a win for Atlanta. They are absolutely flying right now. Tomorrow, Braves RHP Grant Holmes (9-5, 3.62 ERA) is slated to face Phillies LHP Jesus Luzardo (13-5, 3.02) in the finale of that four-game set on Monday afternoon. Philly needs to dig deep and find a way to respond, or this five-game lead could start feeling insurmountable real fast!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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