Braves beat Phils, reduce magic number to four

ATLANTA – As the Braves took a step closer to the coup de grace, they reminded us how much better they had become once Alex Anthopoulos, General Manager, did everything he could to meet the needs of his club.

Nearly two months after being acquired from the Orioles, Kevin Gausman remains energized thanks to the opportunity to participate in a playoff race that became even less tight on Thursday night, when the Braves expanded their eastern edge of the National League with an 8-3 win against the Phillies at SunTrust Park.

See the full coverage of the game

ATLANTA – As the Braves took a step closer to the coup de grace, they reminded us how much better they had become once Alex Anthopoulos, General Manager, did everything he could to meet the needs of his club.

Nearly two months after being acquired from the Orioles, Kevin Gausman remains energized thanks to the opportunity to participate in a playoff race that became even less tight on Thursday night, when the Braves expanded their eastern edge of the National League with an 8-3 win against the Phillies at SunTrust Park.

See the full coverage of the game

"These games mean a lot," Gausman said. "As a player, that's all you can ask for – be in September and play some meaningful games." To be a pitcher coming from Baltimore with the season we had there, the playoffs were a dream that is far-fetched, being in this situation is great. "

Video: PHI @ ATL: Alfaro receives fans from Gausman for his first dam

While producing an ERA of 2.80 over the nine starts since his acquisition on July 31, Gausman has influenced the envious position of the Braves, who have a 6 1/2 division lead on the Phillies. The magic number has been reduced to four with only nine games remaining, six of which will be played against Philadelphia.

"It's always huge to have the first game of a series, no matter who you play," Braves says. Kurt Suzuki I said. "We are going to take it today and continue our momentum tomorrow."

Video: PHI @ ATL: Swanson, Gausman, Suzuki on the win over Phils

Regardless of the fight that could have been left in the Phillies, the Braves earned an eighth place four points Dansby Swanson draw a step loaded by a base before an exit has been recorded. Swanson had also produced the double hustle that put him in a position to score when the newly acquired Lucas Duda laced Tommy Hunterthe cutter in the straight line for a decisive double of RBI.

Video: PHI @ ATL: Swanson Take Second Place

Anthopoulos focused on pitching staff when he added Gausman to his rotation and acquired Jonny Venters and Brad Brach before July 31, deadline for non-derogation transactions. His desire to add a left-handed baton to his bench was satisfying with the acquisition of Duda on Aug. 29, which went from 3 to 15 with two doubles and one circuit as a hitter after trading with the Royals.

"We did a good job," said Brian Snitker, Braves manager. "Alex and his guys did not sit down and wait, they went out and tried to make our club better, and that will pay off."

• Snitker dodges the ball, but not without an invaluable reaction

Gausman may not be the one who dominates opponents. But he gave a glimpse of his determination when he allowed the Phillies to get a first run, then made three hits in a third run. He downplayed the damage in this frame and then removed each of the last 11 hitters he faced in his 6 1/3 effort.

"He found his rhythm and once he came out, he overcame that problem and that was what we expected when we had it," Snitker said. "He's been good all the time he's been here – he's had a few games, but he's been really great for us since he's there."

Video: PHI @ ATL: Snitker on Gausman, victory attack on Phils

MOMENT THAT IS IMPORTANT
The sudden red Freddie Freeman, who scored .404 in his last 12 games, helped create an advantage when he teamed up with Ender Inciarte and Nick Markakis record three consecutive consecutive singles in two innings against Vince Velasquezwho gave three points in three sets.

Video: PHI @ ATL: Markakis installs Inciarte with a single RBI

The Phillies could have limited the damage in the first inning to one inning with a first baseman Rhys Hoskins put in the field Johan Camargochopper and thrown to the second base to start what would have been a likely double game. But once Hoskins put his foot on the bag, Markakis found himself in a lap that allowed Freeman to score in third.

Video: PHI @ ATL: Freeman Marks Markakis Fails

BULLPEN HELP
The first part of this homestand increased worries about the Braves' enclosure, which could take on a very different look if Arodys Vizcaino stays healthy and Chad Sobotka continues to look like a legitimate option with high leverage.

The right shoulder of Vizcaino seemed fine as he was touching 98.5 mph and displaying his wrong slider in an eighth perfect run. Now the first player has to prove that his shoulder can respond favorably in a way that would give Snitker the comfort of wearing it on the playoff list.

Sobotka also posted an impressive mix of fastballs and sliders as he eliminated all three of the battles played in the ninth. The 25-year-old rookie has worked four scoreless innings since returning from a short end-of-season spell with Triple-A Gwinnett.

"I really liked what I saw from Chad," Snitker said. "In this match, in this situation, it was really good to see, Vizzy too – it was a huge exit from Viz, if we can get it back and you see it outside of Chad, it's very big. pieces going forward. "

FOLLOWING
Julio Tehran will attempt to bring the Braves closer to a division title when he will oppose the Phillies on Friday at SunTrust Park, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:35 pm. AND. Tehran's speed has dropped recently and he has released 10 walks in his last 10 innings. But he still has an ERA of 3.04 in his last nine starts. This will be his fourth start against Philadelphia this season, but the first since April. The Phillies will counter Nick Pivetta, who has an ERA of 5.97 in his last six starts.