Braves 7, Phillies 2
PHILADELPHIA -- Williams Perez pitched seven strong innings and rookie third baseman Hector Olivera homered and drove in four runs as the Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-2 on Monday night, snapping a 12-game losing streak.
First baseman Freddie Freeman added a two-run homer for the Braves, who ended their longest skid since a 17-gamer in 1977. They also halted a 13-game road losing streak, their longest since a 15-gamer in 1935.
In addition, Perez (5-6) put an end to a personal six-game losing streak.
Philadelphia dropped its fifth straight.
The game, featuring the teams with the two worst records in the major leagues, drew just 15,125 fans, the smallest crowd in the 12-year history of Citizens Bank Park.
Perez, whose last victory was over the New York Mets on June 20, allowed two runs and six hits. He struck out seven and did not walk a batter.
Philadelphia starter Aaron Harang (5-15) lost for the 11th time in his last 12 decisions and became the first major league pitcher to drop 15 games this season. He went five innings and yielded five runs and eight hits, while striking out six and walking three.
Olivera's homer, his first in the major leagues, was a two-run shot in the ninth inning off Phillies reliever Colton Murray.
Atlanta right fielder Nick Markakis led off the first inning with a double, and one out later, Freeman lined Harang's 1-0 fastball into the seats in left field, his 16th home run of the season.
The Phillies cut the gap to 2-1 on a sacrifice fly by right fielder Aaron Altherr in the third, but in the fourth, Atlanta shortstop Andrelton Simmons doubled home a run.
With two outs and Simmons still at second, the Phillies elected to intentionally walk Markakis to face Olivera, who struck out on two sliders out of the strike zone in his first two at-bats. The strategy backfired, however, when Olivera ripped Harang's 1-1 fastball into the gap in left-center field for a double, driving in two runs and giving the Braves a 5-1 lead.
Philadelphia pinch hitter Brian Bogusevic hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth, in his first at-bat since his contract was selected from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday. It was the fourth pinch-hit homer of his career.
NOTES: Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said before the game that OF Domonic Brown, who sustained a concussion when he flipped over a retaining wall in Citi Field on Wednesday, was still feeling the effects. "I'd be surprised if he even came back the rest of the year," Mackanin said. ... Philadelphia will use a six-man rotation the rest of the way, to limit the workload of its young pitchers. It is not clear, however, who will start Wednesday's game against Atlanta. Mackanin said a decision probably would be made Tuesday. ... The Braves had turned 150 double plays entering the game, second most in the major leagues to Pittsburgh (153). Andrelton Simmons was involved in 99 of those, tops among major league shortstops.