In his first time through a major league lineup, Braves rookie Ryan Weber made it look easy Tuesday night. He faced the minimum nine batters, gave up only one walk and recorded six groundouts, five of those to first base.
But the second time through, Phillies hitters had a better idea of what the undersized right-hander was bringing. They scored a run on two hits in each of the fourth and fifth innings, sending Philadelphia toward a 5-0 win against the Braves in the second game of the battle-to-avoid-the-cellar series at Citizens Bank Park.
After the Braves left the bases loaded in the eighth inning, Odubel Herrera hit a three-run homer off Danny Burawa in the Phillies’ eighth to turn a two-run Braves deficit into another lopsided loss.
Weber worked six strong innings in his major league debut, allowing just four hits, two runs and one walk with two strikeouts. He induced 11 groundball outs including two double plays.
“That’s pretty much what I’ve been doing all season, just relying on my sinker,” said Weber, just called up from Triple-A Gwinnett. “For the most part it was down tonight. Obviously that’s better than if it’s up. I felt really comfortable with it.”
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez called Weber’s debut “Terrific. (Catcher) A.J. (Pierzynski) was raving on his sinker every time coming back to the dugout. He threw the ball over the plate. For his first start in the major leagues, I don’t think he was even worried about anything. I was really impressed. I think he did a great job for us, gave us an opportunity to win the game We had a bunch of people on base the whole game, and just couldn’t get that bloop single when we needed it.”
The Braves, after snapping a 12-game skid in Monday’s series opener, went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and lost for the 20th time in their past 22 games and 27th time in 30 road games. They’ve scored just 78 runs in that 3-27 road stretch, including one or no runs in nine of of the past 23 games.
The Braves went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position during the first six innings against Phillies rookie Aaron Nola (6-2), the seventh overall pick of the June 2014 draft out of Louisiana State University.
They loaded the bases against the bullpen in the eighth before Jace Peterson broke his bat on a flare pop-out to the shortstop to end the inning. Peterson had been 9-f0r-14 with the bases loaded.
The last-place Phillies (54-85) pulled back to within one game of the Braves (55-84) in the National League East standings. The Braves need to win Wednesday’s series finale to avoid falling into a tie, which would be the first time the Braves have been in last place after the All-Star break since finishing 65-97 in the NL West in 1990.
Weber, taking the place of rookie Matt Wisler in the starting rotation for the time being, threw 48 strikes in 74 pitches and gets another start Sunday against the Mets. Wisler will pitch in a relief role for the immediate future
“I did have a little chip on my shoulder, because I knew that I could compete here and play well,” said Weber, 25, who spent nearly seven seasons in the minors before getting his first major league callup this week. “Finally when they called me and said you’re coming up, I knew I had to go out there and do what I’ve been doing all season.”
Nola (6-2) allowed six hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in seven scoreless innings, improving to 3-1 with a 2.10 ERA in five home starts.
Weber, who turned 25 last month but looks younger, threw 21 strikes in 37 pitches through the first three scoreless innings, keeping the ball on the ground. He buckled the knees of Cody Asche with a breaking ball for strike three and the second out of the third inning, his first major league strikeout.
“He had good movement on his fastball,” Braves center fielder Michael Bourn said. “(Weber and Nola) feature, like, the same stuff to me. I thought about that after the second inning. They both work off their two-seam fastball, both had a pretty good curve, both had a pretty good change. Their pitcher won tonight, but we had a chance to get some runs in. We just didn’t come through at that time.”
Weber walked the second batter of the game, Herrera, but Pierzynski threw out Herrera trying to steal second base to end the inning.
The Phillies took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when Cesar Hernandez hit a leadoff double, Herrera singled, and Aaron Altherr grounded into a double play. The added a run in the fifth when Andres Blanco tripled to start the inning and Brian Bogusevic followed with an infield single up the middle.
The Braves had a prime scoring opportunity in the third inning after putting two on with none out on an Andrelton Simmons leadoff single and a Bourn walk. Weber struck out trying to bunt, but the runners advanced on an errant pickoff-attempt. With two in scoring position, Nick Markakis struck out and Hector Olivera flied out to end the inning.
Bourn singled and stole second base with one out in the fifth, but Weber struck out and Markakis grounded out to strand him. And in the sixth, the Braves had two on with one out after singles by Olivera and Pierzysnki, before Nick Swisher struck out and Peterson grounded out.
