USATSI_18338833 — © Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Phillies Hold Off Braves, Take Series Lead

The Philadelphia Phillies won the series opener against the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.

Author:
Lauren Amour
May 24, 2022 10:00 AM EDT

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Philadelphia Phillies

Perhaps Roman Quinn's slide into home on Sunday to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers was the start of something good.

That sure appeared to be the case on Monday night at Truist Park in Atlanta, Ga., where the Philadelphia Phillies and reigning World Champion Braves met for the first time this season.

Quinn set the tone for the game in the first inning, throwing out William Contreras at home to keep it a scoreless game. His throw clocked in at 99.9 mph.

In the second, Philadelphia jumped on Braves' starter Tucker Davidson and provided Zack Wheeler with some early run support. Rhys Hoskins mashed a bases-clearing double into the gap in right-center field to make it 3-0.

The Phillies piled on three more runs in the third inning. A J.T. Realmuto triple brought home Kyle Schwarber, while a Quinn double scored Realmuto and Johan Camargo. J.T. was 2-for-4 on the night, a positive sign for the struggling Phillies' catcher.

Jean Segura, who's been scorching hot during the month of May, tacked on the Phillies' seventh and final run of the game in the fourth inning. His RBI single scored Alec Bohm; the Phillies' second and third basemen each logged two hits.

Following his 19-pitch first inning, Wheeler settled in nicely. He collected 10 strikeouts over 6.2 innings, allowed two runs on eight hits, walking none on 105 pitches.

Wheeler was relieved by Jeurys Familia, who was charged with an earned run in the eighth inning after Connor Brogdon allowed Contreras to score.

Although not a save situation, Corey Knebel entered the game in the ninth inning to close it out. Luckily, the Phillies' bullpen was able to preserve Wheeler's gem and the 7-3 lead, Knebel needed just nine pitches to secure the win.

Philadelphia took game one of the four-game set, improving their record to 20-22. They'll look to carry that momentum into game two on Tuesday with Kyle Gibson on the mound for the Phillies and Max Fried for the Braves.