Braves 3, Phillies 2
B.J. Upton delivered a two-run triple and Aaron Harang survived seven innings as visiting Atlanta completed a four-game sweep of Philadelphia.
Gerald Laird went 2-for-4 with a run-scoring double as Atlanta concluded an 8-3 road trip. Tommy La Stella reached base twice and scored both times as the Braves swept a four-game series in Philadelphia for the first time since 1964.
Harang (7-6) allowed two runs and 11 hits, Shae Simmons struck out two in the eighth and Craig Kimbrel allowed consecutive two-out singles in the ninth before recording his 24th save. Marlon Byrd hit two homers for the Phillies, who have lost eight of their last 10 games.
Harang kept the Atlanta second inning going with a two-out single to center off David Buchanan (4-4) and Upton followed with a blast to deep center that went off the glove of Philadelphia’s Ben Revere to make it 2-0. Byrd homered in the bottom of the inning to get the Phillies on the board.
La Stella and Laird hit back-to-back doubles in the fourth to give Atlanta a 3-1 lead and Byrd went deep to right-center in the bottom of the fourth to again make it a one-run margin. Philadelphia threatened in the ninth when Revere and Jimmy Rollins each recorded their third hits of the contest but Kimbrel induced Chase Utley to fly to shallow right to end it.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Utley smacked a single in the seventh inning for the 1,500th hit of his career, third among active 2B behind Robinson Cano (1,743) and Brian Roberts (1,506). … Atlanta C Evan Gattis missed his third straight game due to back spasms. … Buchanan gave up three runs and five hits and issued five walks in five innings to see his three-start winning streak come to an end.