PHILADELPHIA – Twice the Phillies came back from a one-run deficit to tie the score Wednesday against the Braves, and twice Adonis Garcia put the Braves back on top with an RBI double.
But where Arodys Vizcaino once was almost a sure thing, the Braves closer lately has been anything but. And on Wednesday, he gave it up again.
Freddy Galvis’ two-out, two-run homer off Vizcaino in the eighth inning lifted the Phillies to a 4-3 win and series sweep of the Braves, who have a four-game losing streak and have lost eight of 10.
“A lot of really good things today. It’s just a shame,” Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. “You fight like hell to win a game like that and the guys — you talk about leave it on the field, they did. Just hustled down the base line. Frenchy’s (Jeff Francoeur) play, Adonis coming up big, it’s a tough one to lose.”
The Phillies have won 10 of their past 13 games and also have a four-game winning streak against the Braves. As his been the case too frequently, Vizcaino (1-4) hurt himself with a leadoff walk.
He walked Maikel Franco, then gave up a Carlos Ruiz ground-ball single before inducing a double-play grounder from Tommy Joseph. Galvis was up next and launched a 2-2 pitch to the right-field seats.
“Leadoff walk hurts,” Snitker said. “And then a ground ball couldn’t be right at somebody, it’s just right out of reach. I still felt good with two out and a runner at third. We’re a strike away from getting out of that inning and winning the game. Just once pitch.”
Vizcaino has four losses in his past 15 appearances and has allowed 13 hits, two homers and an alarming 14 walks in 12 1/3 innings in that span.
“That’s a tough one, man,” said left fielder Francoeur, who made a strong throw to the plate to protect a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning. “Any time you lose a game with one swing like that. … We’re all trying to pick up Vizky (Vizcaino). He’s been so good. Any closer, any guy hits a little bit of a rough patch.
“The one thing that’s still good is, his velocity is still 98, 98. It’s not like that’s dipped to 95 or something. To me it’s just a matter of time before he gets it back. But you know how it is, man, when you’re struggling — when it rains, it pours.”
Francoeur scored on Garcia’s two-out double in the eighth to put the Braves back ahead, 3-2. Garcia had a sixth-inning double for a 2-1 lead, before the Phillies tied it again on Maikel Franco’s homer in the sixth off reliever Chris Withrow. He’s the first Phillies player to homer in four consecutive games since Ryan Howard in 2012, and four of Franco’s 17 home runs this season have been against the Braves.
Braves rookie Tyrell Jenkins didn't get a decision in his first major league start, but he impressed everyone and walked off the mound with two out in the fifth and the Braves ahead 1-0. The hottest-hitting team in the majors over the past couple of weeks didn't score while Jenkins was on the mound, but the Phillies got a run soon after he left in the fifth.
Jenkins, who made four relief appearances before Wednesday, filled in for injured starter Julio Teheran and was charged with four hits, one run and one walk with one strikeout in 4 2/3 innings. He also had a sacrifice bunt in the third inning to help the Braves take a 1-0 lead when Freddie Freeman drew a bases-loaded walk.
Galvis had a leadoff single in the fifth and stole second before Cesar Hernandez singled to left. Galvis tried to score and Francoeur, who had a career-reviving season last year with the Phillies, made a strong, near-perfect throw to plate, in the air all the way, to cut him down and protect the 1-0 lead.
“I was pumped when he did go,” Francoeur said of Galvis running. “I thought I could get him. Even better now, because (Phillies third-base coach) Juan Samuel, I can hold that over his head for a long time now. He was smiling at me.
“But we played a good game. That’s a tough one to lose.”
One ground out later, Jenkins was replaced by left-hander Ian Krol with two out and a runner at third. Odubel Herrera hit a sharp double on Krol’s first pitch to drive in the tying run, the only run charged to Jenkins, who threw 38 strikes in 64 pitches and said he understood the decision to replace him with a lefty against All-Star Herrera.
