How the game was won: After the Braves scored two runs in the first inning Sunday, Atlanta nemesis Ryan Howard hit a three-run homer with two out in the bottom of the first and the Phillies never trailed again in a 5-4 win that clinched the series, two games to one. The Braves tied the score in the fourth inning on consecutive doubles by Freddie Freeman and Kelly Johnson, but the Phillies took the lead for good on Ben Revere's RBI triple in the fifth, and tacked on an unearned run in the seventh to withstand Alberto Callaspo's pinch homer in the Braves' 9th. Braves starter Trevor Cahill (0-3) gave up five hits, four runs and three walks in six innings.

Number: 9. Errors by the Braves in their past six games, after they had a majors-low one error through their first 12 games. Freddie Freeman's third error of the Phillies series was a costly one Sunday, letting in a run with two outs in the seventh inning to push the lead to 5-3.

What's next: The Braves return to Atlanta to face the Nationals Monday in the opener of a three-game series and 10-game homestand, which also includes four games against the Reds and three against the Phillies. Left-hander Eric Stults (0-1, 4.50 ERA) faces Nationals right-hander Doug Fister (1-0, 2.37) in Monday's 7:10 p.m. game.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Atlanta Braves then-manager Brian Snitker and other coaches watch batting practice during February's first full-squad spring training workout at CoolToday Park in Florida. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Featured

Public Service Commission candidate Peter Hubbard gets a hug from Brionté McCorkle, executive director of Georgia Conservation Voters, during an election-night party in Southwest Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.  (Ben Gray for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC