Phillies Fall To Braves 7-4
ATLANTA (AP) — Rookie Christian Bethancourt had three hits in his return to the major leagues, including a fifth-inning single that helped the Atlanta Braves break out of their scoring slump in a 7-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.
B.J. Upton hit a two-run homer in a three-run second as the Braves ended a 25-inning scoreless streak.
Bethancourt, a catcher recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday following a six-week demotion, drove in the Braves' first run with an infield single in the second and put Atlanta ahead 5-4 with an RBI single in the fifth.
Atlanta began the day 1 1/2 games behind Milwaukee for the NL's second wild card.
Ervin Santana (14-7) won despite allowing four runs and seven hits in six innings. Craig Kimbrel pitched around a leadoff walk to Cesar Hernandez in the ninth for his major league-leading 42nd save in 46 chances.
Grady Sizemore hit a two-run homer in the third that tied the score 3-3, and Ben Revere had three hits for his fourth straight multi-hit game.
Atlanta, shut out of three of its previous four games, fell behind of Chase Utley's first-inning sacrifice fly but took a 3-1 lead in the second behind Upton's 10th homer and first since Aug. 8. The Braves had scored one run in their previous 36 innings. All three runs were unearned because of an error by Utley, who allowed Ryan Doumit's leadoff grounder to bounce off his glove for an error.
Freddie Freeman led off the fifth with a double off Mario Hollands (2-2). Freeman initially was ruled out stretching at second on left fielder Domonic Brown's throw to Utley, but Jordan Baker's call was reversed on video review. Bethancourt then singled against Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, a Cuban who signed last year and who was making his major league debut.
Phillies starter David Buchanan, from Peachtree City, Georgia, and Georgia State, gave up four runs — one earned — three hits and four walks in his first game at Atlanta.
Sizemore made the defensive play of the game by racing toward the right-field foul line for a diving catch of pinch-hitter Evan Gattis' fly ball in the eighth.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Philadelphia: Hollands left with left elbow soreness.
Atlanta: LF Justin Upton was held out with a bruised left upper arm sustained when hit by a pitch Tuesday. He had treatment and took some swings before the game and the injury is not believed to be serious.
UP NEXT
Philadelphia: The Phillies are off Thursday before RHP Jerome Williams starts Friday night's series opener at Washington. The Phillies swept three games from the Nationals in Philadelphia last week.
Atlanta: The Braves also are off Thursday. RHP Aaron Harang faces RHP Jarred Cosart on Friday night at Miami. Cosart and the Marlins shut out Harang and the Braves 4-0 Saturday.
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