PHILADELPHIA – With the Braves’ season having slipped into irrelevance for most other than their hardcore fans, the Upton brothers provided one more memorable night Saturday for those still watching in the penultimate game of 2014.
B.J. Upton had a tie-breaking leadoff homer in the third inning and Justin Upton belted a tie-breaking two-run homer in the seventh to life the Braves to a 4-2 win against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Each Upton also recorded an outfield assist by throwing out a runner attempting to score from second base.
In this difficult Braves season, even Craig Kimbrel protecting a two-run lead in the ninth wasn’t simple. After a Marlon Byrd leadoff single, shortstop Andrelton Simmons booted Domonic Brown’s grounder up the middle. A sacrifice bunt put both runners in scoring position before Kimbrel struck out Freddy Galvis and walked Darin Ruf.
With bases loaded, Ben Revere lined out to Simmons on a diving stop to the shortstop’s right to give Kimbrel his 46th save.
The Uptons homered in the same game for a third time this season and sixth time in two seasons as Braves, extending their own major league record in that category. And it was the first time in major league history that two brothers each had a home run and outfield assist in the same game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Justin Upton raised his season totals to 29 homers and a career-high 102 RBIs with one game remaining.
The brothers helped Aaron Harang (12-12) get back to .500 in a season when the journeyman has pitched better than his record indicates. The win was just the third in 15 games for the Braves and assured a season-series win against the Phillies, with a 10-8 advantage heading into Sunday’s finale.
Harang allowed eight hits, two runs and two walks in 6 2/3 innings and won for just the second time in seven decisions over his past seven starts. The Braves scored no runs while he was in the game in any of his last five losses, including three games in which Harang pitched seven innings and allowed two runs or fewer.
Braves nemesis Ryan Howard put the Phillies ahead 1-0 with a leadoff homer in the second inning, raising his career-best totals against Atlanta to 47 homers and 133 RBIs in 155 games.
An inning later, B.J. Upton answered with a leadoff homer against veteran A.J. Burnett (8-18), the 12th of the season for the center fielder who set the Braves single-season strikeout record Friday.
Justin Upton prevented a run in the fourth inning by throwing out Chase Utley trying to score from second base on Howard’s single to left field, and one inning later B.J. Upton threw out Wil Nieves trying to score from second on Ben Revere’s two-out single.
All was not perfect Saturday for the Uptons: Justin misplayed an Utley fly ball for a double in the sixth inning, and Howard singled to drive him in with the tying run. But Justin Upton would soon make amends – and then some.
After B.J. Upton’s third-inning homer, Burnett recorded 12 outs in 12 batters, including a strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out double play to end the fourth inning. Freddie Freeman singled to start the inning and was thrown out at second base after Jason Heyward struck out.
Freeman’s hit was the only one for the Braves between home runs by the Uptons. After Freeman walked to start the seventh inning, Justin Upton homered to the left-center bleachers to give the Braves a 4-2 lead.
That left him two homers shy of his career-high 31 with Arizona in 2011. Justin Upton has 56 homers and 172 RBIs in two seasons since being traded to the Braves.
For write-thru version of this story complete with postgame quotes, please go to MyAJC.com or use this link.
