The Braves lost to the Phillies 5-1 Friday at Citizens Bank Park. It was the third time the Braves lost to Phillies starter and Georgia native Zack Wheeler this season.
Here are five takeaways from the game:
1. Max Fried lived on the edge for his entire outing. The southpaw labored through five innings. He didn’t record a clean frame, allowing four runs on six hits over five innings. Fried also walked four Phillies. Some shoddy defense behind him didn’t help, but Fried was far from his best.
“You have to come in and put up zeroes, and unfortunately I wasn’t able to do that,” Fried said. “At this point of the year, it’s about winning games and unfortunately I didn’t give us a chance to do that.”
The biggest blow against Fried came from second baseman Jean Segura. In a 1-1 game, Segura reached for an 0-2 pitch and laced it down the third base line to score two baserunners.
“Segura hit that ball off the ground, almost,” manager Brian Snitker said. “I think the catcher would’ve had to block that ball if he didn’t hit it. That’s a credit to him. He grinds through an at-bat. That was a big one right there.”
2. There isn’t a player who’s had more success against the Braves this season than Segura. He was hitting .385/.421/.481 with one homer and 10 RBIs across 13 games entering the night. He had only one hit Friday, but it loomed large.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
3. The All-Star Wheeler faced the Braves three previous times entering Friday. In his two starts against the Braves in Philadelphia, Wheeler logged 15 scoreless innings with 22 strikeouts and five hits allowed.
The Braves fared better against him this time, but still produced only one run. Wheeler wasn’t dominant but he pitched his way around tight spots to cover seven innings. He recorded only two 1-2-3 innings.
The greatest opportunity came when the Braves loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth, bringing up third baseman Austin Riley, who grounded out. The Braves had a runner in scoring position in four of Wheeler’s seven innings.
“Just couldn’t get a big hit,” Snitker said. “He’s tough, man. … You have to hope you throw up some zeroes facing him and just grind away at-bats. Seems like every time you look at his pitch count, you think maybe we’ve got him on the ropes and we can get rid of him, then he kind of regroups and settles in. Next thing you know, he’s out there in the seventh inning. Man, he’s a tough ride.”
4. Lefty reliever Sean Newcomb allowed an RBI double to Rhys Hoskins in the seventh. It was his first major-league appearance since June 24.
After walking a batter Friday – a four-pitch lead-off walk to J.T. Realmuto, who scored on Hoskins’ hit – Newcomb has walked at least one hitter in seven of his last eight outings. He has a 6.24 ERA and 9:12 strikeout-to-walk ratio over that span.
5. The Braves dropped to 2-6 in Philadelphia, meaning they’ll lose the season series at Citizens Bank Park for the fifth consecutive year. They’re 15-29 in Philadelphia since 2017, with two games remaining in the City of Brotherly Love this week.
Stat to know
3 (Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper stole three bases Friday, including stealing home in the fifth inning. It was a career high for the long-time Braves nemesis.)
Quotable
“He’s a tough out. He gets tough when he gets two strikes. He just makes you work. You have to make pitches, hit spots, speed him up and slow him down. He’ll take what you give him, shoots the ball the other way. He’s just tough.” – Snitker on Segura
Up next
The Braves and Phillies face off again Saturday. Lefty Drew Smyly (7-3, 4.50) will oppose right-hander Vince Velasquez (3-4, 5.00).
