Phillies 6, Braves 3
Rookie Vance Worley tossed six solid innings to secure his ninth straight win and Raul Ibanez drove in three runs as the Philadelphia Phillies recorded a 6-3 victory over the visiting Atlanta Braves on Tuesday.
Chase Utley homered for the first time since Aug. 21 and Ryan Howard scored twice as Philadelphia extended its lead to 9 1/2 games over Atlanta in the National League East.
The Phillies reduced their magic number for clinching their fifth consecutive division title to 14 with 24 contests remaining.
Philadelphia won for the 14th consecutive time with Worley (11-1) on the mound. He allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out six.
With the game tied at 2-2 in the sixth, Howard scored on a wild pitch by Tim Hudson (14-9) and Ibanez plated Hunter Pence with a double to right center field.
Dan Uggla belted his team-leading 33rd homer of the season and former Phillie Michael Bourn had three hits for Atlanta, which has dropped four of its last five.
The Braves lead the St. Louis Cardinals by 7 1/2 game in the wild card standings.
Hudson suffered his third loss in 12 decisions after permitting four runs on six hits in six innings.