One night after lighting up the Atlanta skyline with a five-homer barrage, the Phillies went out with more of a whimper than a bang.
Rookie right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach, who entered the evening with a pedestrian strikeout rate turned into a whiff machine on Saturday night, and the Phillies were the helpless recipients. The 24-year-old carved up Philadelphia’s lineup for a career-high 12 strikeouts over seven dominant innings, allowing just three hits in a 6-1 Braves bounce-back win.
It was a night where the Phils had chances, just not the big swing. Alec Bohm delivered an RBI single in the sixth to make it a 2-1 game, but Nick Castellanos flied out with two on to end the inning. One inning later, the dam broke.
With one out in the seventh, Braves catcher Sean Murphy launched a first-pitch fastball from Jordan Romano 455 feet into the Georgia night for a grand slam — his 10th homer of the year and the first Braves slam this season. Just like that, a tense 2-1 battle was 6-1. The blast punctuated a three-hit frame that began with singles from Marcell Ozuna, Austin Riley, and Ozzie Albies.
Romano, acquired to stabilize the late innings, now owns a 7.28 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. In a bullpen that’s been wobbling more often than not this summer, he's become a flashing red light — and one more reason why Dave Dombrowski and company must act at the trade deadline if this team is going to survive the stretch run.
Jesús Luzardo kept things manageable through five innings. He scattered seven hits and struck out seven, navigating around traffic and limiting damage. But the offense simply didn’t cooperate — again.
Philadelphia mustered just four hits on the night and struck out 14 times in total, 12 of those coming from Schwellenbach, who threw 64 of his 90 pitches for strikes. He retired the final 11 batters he faced, needing just 14 pitches to get through his final two innings.
The loss stings even more considering what came before it — a 13-0 Friday night fireworks show that felt like a statement. Instead, Saturday served as a sobering reminder: this Braves team, even when reeling, doesn’t stay down for long. And the Phillies? They need to figure out a strategy to improve this bullpen, and fast.
So now, it all comes down to Sunday.
The Phillies turn to Ranger Suárez to try and win the series. The Braves counter with Spencer Strider, who’s been searching for consistency but still brings one of the most electric arms in the sport.
One night was a party. The next, a punch to the gut. Sunday is an important test for a Phillies club that, because of a Mets loss in Pittsburgh, still carry a half-game lead in the NL East.
Loading Phillies schedule...
Loading NL East standings...
