PHILADELPHIA — Adam Duvall homered, Kyle Wright tossed seven sharp innings and the Atlanta Braves kept rolling this month, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 on Wednesday night.
The Braves improved to 21-5 in June, matching the team record for most wins in a calendar month since the club moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta in 1966. They’ll try to set a new mark when they go for a three-game sweep on Thursday night.
“We’re playing good baseball,” Wright said. “Pitching, hitting, defense, we’re doing it all. I feel like this is what we're capable of. Just keep it rolling.”
Matt Olson hit a pair of doubles and William Contreras and Michael Harris II also had RBIs for the Braves.
“It’s been a good month,” manager Brian Snitker said.
Rhys Hoskins homered and doubled for Philadelphia, which played without star slugger Bryce Harper for the third straight game. Harper had successful surgery on his broken left thumb earlier in the day.
“We have to remind ourselves that we can’t replace him.There’s no replacing him,” Hoskins said of Harper. “If we just be ourselves, with the caliber of players we have in this room – sure, of course, we’ll miss him – but it doesn’t mean we can’t get to where we want to go with the guys in this room if we commit to being ourselves.”
There is no timetable for Harper’s return, but the Phillies remain hopeful the 2021 NL MVP can play again this season.
Wright (9-4) rebounded from two straight shaky outings and allowed one run on three hits with four strikeouts and three walks. He had given up nine earned runs on 21 hits in 11 1/3 innings over his last two starts.
“Good little bounce-back start,” he said.
After Hoskins’ solo shot off the left-field foul pole in the third put Philadelphia ahead, the Braves took control against Ranger Suarez (6-5).
Atlanta took a 2-1 lead with a pair of runs in the fourth. Olson led off with his second double of the contest and 43rd extra-base hit of the season before scoring on Contreras’ single.
It looked as if the inning was over when Duvall was ruled out at first to complete a 6-4-3 double play, but the call was overturned after a video review and Marcell Ozuna scored on the grounder.
“Huge in a game like this,” Snitker said of Duvall’s hustle down the line.
Duvall’s solo homer and Harris’ RBI single both came with two outs in the seventh, padding the Braves’ margin to three runs.
With closer Kenley Jansen sidelined on the 15-day IL with an irregular heartbeat, Will Smith finished with a perfect ninth, striking out two, for his third save in six chances.
Suarez gave up four runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.
STREAK STOPPED
Kyle Schwarber went 0 for 4 with a pair of strikeouts to snap his on-base streak at 31 consecutive games. It was the longest Phillies streak since Chase Utley reached base in 35 straight in 2006.
KENNEDY HONORED
The Phillies honored the late John Irvin Kennedy, their first African American player, in a pregame ceremony. Kennedy broke the club’s color barrier on April 22, 1957, and went on to play in five games that season, going hitless in two at-bats.
APPEL DEBUT
RHP Mark Appel pitched a scoreless ninth inning in his major league debut. Appel was picked No. 1 overall by the Houston Astros in 2013 and was part of a trade to Philadelphia in 2015. Due to injuries and ineffectiveness, Appel left baseball in 2018 before coming back to the Phillies organization in 2021 and earning a promotion to the majors last Saturday.
“It’s pretty surreal,” Appel said. “I was trying to hold back the tears. It was emotional. It was special.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Braves: OF Ronald Acuña Jr. (bruised left foot) will rejoin the club in Philadelphia on Thursday and could play that night, Snitker said before the game. Acuña has missed the last three games after fouling a ball off his foot in Saturday’s 5-3 win over the Dodgers. He stayed back in Atlanta for treatment when the Braves traveled to Philadelphia for this three-game series. … LHP Tyler Matzek (left shoulder inflammation) tossed one scoreless inning, striking out two, in a rehab assignment at Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday night. Matzek has been out since May 17.
Phillies: Interim manager Rob Thomson deferred all other questions about the surgery to Harper, who is expected to return to Philadelphia sometime this week to address the situation. Harper was injured on Saturday night by a fastball from San Diego Padres left-hander Blake Snell. … Placed INF Johan Camargo (right knee strain) on the 10-day IL, retroactive to June 26 and transferred RHP James McArthur (right elbow stress reaction) to the 60-day IL. Darick Hall was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley and went 0 for 4 with a strikeout while batting cleanup in his MLB debut. Hall was the first Phillies player to bat cleanup in his MLB debut since LeGrant Scott in 1939.
UP NEXT
Braves RHP Ian Anderson (6-4, 4.60) opposes Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (4-5, 2.98) in the finale of the three-game series on Thursday night.
