Big game Casty emerges again in win against Braves

Final Score: Phillies 5, Braves 4

There’s just something about Nick Castellanos in the powder blues against the Braves at night.

In the first Phillies vs. Braves primetime showdown since Game 4 of the 2023 NLDS, Castellanos was the man — again. His two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning against Grant Holmes completed a thrilling 5-4 Phillies comeback. It was a nice callback to the incredibly entertaining series from last year, when Castellanos homered twice in the clincher against Braves ace Spencer Strider.

The Phillies were down 4-0 as late as the bottom of the sixth, but a three-run home run to the opposite field by Brandon Marsh cut the Atlanta lead to 4-3 and gave some life to a rather dull crowd of around 40,000 on a chilly night at Citizens Bank Park.

Orion Kerkering was the winning pitcher and he earned it with one of his best relief outings this season. He retired Whit Merrifield, Jorge Soler and Marcell Ozuna after stranding two runners on in the top of the sixth.

Matt Olson, who came into the game 8-for-21 with seven extra-base hits in his last five games, continued his hot streak with two home runs against Cristopher Sánchez. It was Olson’s third multi-homer game of the season and the first time Sánchez has allowed multiple home runs in a game since Aug. 11, 2023.

The win increases the Phillies’ lead in the NL East to six games with three more to play against Atlanta this weekend.

Highlights

• Atlanta jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a double to left center field by Orlando Arcia.

• The red-hot Olson continued his stretch with a two-run home run on a center cut fastball that cleared the batter’s eye. Considering that most of Sánchez’s home runs allowed this year have been wall scrapers, this one is impressive.

• Olson sat on a Sánchez changeup and crushed it to the bullpen to make it 4-0.

• Snitker had a decision: Keep Morton in to face Marsh or bring in the lefty Aaron Bummer. Snitker stuck with his guy and it backfired as Marsh hit a three-run home run the other way to cut the deficit to one.

• Castellanos crushed a two-run home run into the bushes to give the Phillies a 5-4 lead.

Notes

• Alec Bohm was removed from the game in the third inning due to “left hand discomfort.” Here’s the latest on Bohm.

Ticket IQ Next Game

• Friday, Aug. 30 vs. Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park
• 6:40 p.m. EST
• NBC Sports Philadelphia
• 94 WIP

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