Riley belts two homers, Pérez strong in series-opening win over Phillies

PHILADELPHIA — The Braves jumped on the Phillies for seven runs in the first three innings on Friday at Citizens Bank Park and cruised to a 9-0 victory to open a three-game series.

Austin Riley hit two home runs, both to the opposite field, for his first two-homer game since May 4 and his ninth multi-homer game of his career.

“It’s satisfying,” Riley said of his night. “I put up a lot of work. Obviously injured the last couple years, and worked really hard this offseason to try to get it dialed in. Got off to a slow start, but it’s starting to pick up right now. It feels good, like I said, just to see some results on all the hard work that we put in the offseason.”

Martín Pérez gave the Braves another solid start, five days after Pérez was designated for assignment, three days after he was outrighted to Triple-A Gwinnett and instead chose free agency, and two days after resigning with the Braves on a minor-league deal.

Pérez (1-1) went six scoreless innings of four-hit ball and struck out four. He walked two and hit two batters but kept the Phillies offense at bay by getting nine fly-ball outs. The Phillies were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position against Pérez and left eight runners on base.

Pérez retired 12 of the final 14 hitters he faced.

“It was tough for me because I was not happy with the decision,” Pérez said. “But I think I’m a professional and I talked to my agent and I say I want to go to free agency to see what happens. At the end, the best option was Atlanta and we signed back.

“I don’t even know that I’m gonna start tonight. They just told me after the game on Wednesday. I clicked my mind and I went, ‘OK, it’s time to go again.’”

Pérez (1-1) also worked with a lead all night.

The Braves (13-7) scratched two across in the first, getting a bases-loaded groundout to second by Ozzie Albies and a line-drive infield single from Mike Yastrzemski that caromed off the leg of Phillies starter Taijuan Walker.

In the bottom of the first, the Phillies threatened by loading the bases with one out before Pérez struck out Edmundo Sosa and got J.T. Realmuto to pop up into shallow left.

Pérez also stranded Phillies star Bryce Harper at third after Harper had hit a one-out triple in the third.

“I think I was too much around the strike zone,” Pérez said. And I think I wasn’t making a pitch when I needed. I think the first three innings, that’s what happened. I was not throwing a lot of strikes or the pitch that I wanted. But we need that pitch I was just trying to throw exactly what we wanted and it was perfect."

Matt Olson made it 3-0 with a two-out RBI single to right in the second. Michael Harris II scored from second and should have been out at the plate, but Realmuto whiffed on catching the one-hop throw from right fielder Adolis Garcia.

That allowed Riley to step in the box, and he took an 88-mph cutter up and away out 380 feet to right center for a three-run shot to give the Braves a 6-0 lead. Riley also hit a homer on Wednesday, giving him back-to-back games with a home run for the first time since July 28-29.

Dominic Smith put the Braves up 7-0 in the third by crushing an 0-1 splitter 406 feet into the stands in right, his fourth home run of the season.

Walker (1-3) was beaten up for seven earned runs on seven hits and three walks and a hit batter, leaving after four innings with a 9.16 ERA for the season.