By the time Marcell Ozuna sent everyone home with a two-run homer in the 11th inning, it was 12:53 a.m. The rain had long since cleared, the seats were mostly empty, and what began as a Thursday night ballgame had drifted well into Friday morning.
Ozuna’s blast — his second of the season — came just moments after Austin Riley tied the game with a double off Joe Ross, erasing a 2-1 Phillies lead that lasted all of five pitches. The Braves walked off with a 4-2 win and a series victory they badly needed.
The Phillies, meanwhile, left town with a sour taste and a record that slipped to 8-4. They led in extras, had chances, and couldn’t seal it.
It was all shaping up to be another signature moment for Kyle Schwarber. He had opened the scoring in the third by pulverizing a 98-mph fastball from Spencer Schwellenbach into the Atlanta night, his sixth home run in the last 12 games. It also snapped Schwellenbach’s season-opening scoreless streak at 16 innings.
But that was the last time the Phillies would score until extras.
Jesús Luzardo, making just his third start since joining the Phillies, was sharp across six innings, giving up one run on six hits. Schwellenbach matched him for the Braves. Then came the skies. A rain delay of 2 hours and 45 minutes in the sixth halted the rhythm, and the rest of the night turned strange.
The Phillies loaded up a chance in the 10th — runners on the corners with two outs — but couldn’t push across a run. In the 11th, they briefly pulled ahead on a sac fly from Bryson Stott, but it wasn’t enough.
Ross, who had cruised through the 10th, returned for the 11th. After a leadoff walk and the Riley double, Ozuna ended it with one loud swing.
The Braves, off to one of their worst starts in years, improved to 3-8 with the win and took two of three in the series. The Phillies, despite the strong start to the season, have now lost 10 of their last 13 extra-inning games dating back to last year.
They’ll try to reset on Friday night in St. Louis, where Aaron Nola (0-2, 6.35 ERA) will take the mound against Andre Pallante (1-0, 3.86).
