Braves Win Wild Ninth on Wilson Contreras Walk Off to Edge the Phillies 6-5
ATLANTA (AP) — William Contreras singled home Ronald Acuña Jr. in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Atlanta Braves a 6-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night.
Bryce Harper put Philadelphia ahead 5-4 in the top of the ninth with a two-run homer off closer Kenley Jansen (3-0). Harper finished with four RBIs.
But the Braves rallied back, taking advantage of a costly error by center fielder Roman Quinn.
Dansby Swanson doubled off Nick Nelson (1-1) to begin the ninth and advanced on a wild pitch. Swanson came home when Acuña’s sacrifice fly bounced off Quinn’s glove, allowing Acuña to reach second base before scoring on Contreras’ first career walk-off hit.
The Phillies were trying to win their third straight game and seventh in their last nine on the road. The Braves have scuffled a season after winning the World Series but stopped short of enduring a season-high, three-game losing streak.
Harper had one hit in his last 27 at-bats at Truist Park before the game started. The two-time NL MVP is working exclusively at designated hitter while he recovers from a right elbow injury that has prevented him from playing right field. His 10th homer traveled 438 feet and hit off the Chop House facade in right field.
Matt Olson’s homer for Atlanta, his fifth of the season, hit the foul pole in right field for a 3-2 lead in the sixth. Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley followed with singles and Adam Duvall walked to load the bases and chase reliever James Norwood before Acuña hit a sacrifice fly against Andrew Bellatti to make it 4-2.
Braves starter Max Fried allowed five hits and two runs with two walks and five strikeouts in six innings. He ended his night by striking out J.T. Realmuto with the bases loaded.
Harper’s RBI single in the seventh trimmed it to 4-3. Harper had been 0 for 12 in his career when facing reliever Will Smith.
Philadelphia tied it at 2 in the sixth when Alec Bohm doubled, advanced on a passed ball and scored on Harper’s double.
The Braves took a 2-1 lead in the second on RBI singles by Swanson and Acuña against Phillies starter Kyle Gibson, who was charged with seven hits and two runs in six innings.
Philadelphia went up 1-0 in the second when Jean Segura reached on an infield single, advanced to third on Kyle Schwarber’s single and scored on Realmuto’s sacrifice fly.
Acuña, whose 29-game on-base streak ended Monday, went 2 for 3 but struck out looking with runners on first and second to end the fourth.
The Braves are 27-15 against Philadelphia at Truist Park since the venue opened in 2017.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Atlanta OF Eddie Rosario, sidelined with blurred vision and swelling in his right retina since April 26, is riding a stationary bicycle and doing light workouts but he’s still four to six weeks from baseball activities. The 2021 NLCS MVP said his vision has improved since surgery. … Realmuto, the Philadelphia catcher, was visited by a trainer in the fourth after the follow-through on his throw to second hit Riley in the helmet. Realmuto threw out Albies on a stolen base attempt and stayed in the game.
