Nick Castellanos hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning, and Brandon Marsh hit a three-run shot in the sixth to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-4 win over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night.
The Phillies now have a six-game lead over the Braves in the NL East after winning the first game of their four-game series.
The game got exciting late for Philadelphia.
Braves starter Charlie Morton let the leadoff runner reach base in five of the first six innings and had trouble throwing strikes, but was helped by the Phillies’ inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities.
That changed when Marsh hit a home run to left field off Morton for his 14th homer of the year, giving the Phillies a 4-3 lead in the sixth inning.
Castellanos, one of the Phillies’ most consistent hitters in the second half of the season, smashed a two-out homer to center off Grant Holmes (2-1) in the seventh inning. This excited the 40,000-plus fans in attendance and gave the Phillies a 5-4 lead.
“It’s fun, man. It’s a high,” Castellanos said. “It’s a cool feeling when everyone stands up and shows their love.”
Castellanos hit his 12th career go-ahead homer in the seventh inning or later, and his first of the season. He has been delivering in big moments lately, including a three-run homer off Justin Verlander in a 5-0 win over Houston on Tuesday.
“Moments like that are always a lot of fun, so I enjoy doing it,” Castellanos said.
Orion Kerkering (3-2) struck out two in 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win. Jeff Hoffman finished the game with the ninth inning for his 10th save.
The Phillies looked set to win the NL East after starting with the best 60-game record since the 2001 Seattle Mariners. However, their performance dipped during the summer, and their series against the Braves — a team the Phillies had knocked out of the playoffs the last two years — became more significant.
“There’s a lot on the line for both teams,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said before the game. “A good rivalry. One of the better rivalries in baseball right now. It’s going to be a fun weekend.”
Matt Olson hit two home runs for the Braves, including a 450-foot blast over the batter’s eye in deep center field in the third inning.
All-Star Cristopher Sánchez got an extra day off to prepare for the Braves and had a decent performance. He was hurt by an error from shortstop Trea Turner in the third inning, which set up Olson’s 24th homer of the year, giving the Braves a 3-0 lead.
Orlando Arcia, who has often been a thorn in the Phillies’ side, hit an RBI double in the second inning. Sánchez was taken out after giving up seven hits and four runs in 5 2/3 innings.
The Phillies had a slow start, coming off a game where they were no-hit into the eighth inning and lost 10-0 to Houston. That loss also moved struggling pitcher Taijuan Walker from the rotation to the bullpen for the rest of the season.
Olson hit his 25th homer of the year with a solo shot off Sánchez in the sixth inning, marking his 24th career game with multiple home runs.
“We’re kind of into not winning series, but winning games,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “Every one is probably as important as the next right now with where we are.”
Right now, the Braves are trying to catch the Phillies.
