The Philadelphia Phillies had the opportunity to get the weekend off to a good start for Philly sports fans. Unfortunately, the Atlanta Braves jumped out to an early lead, while the Phillies squandered their opportunity to respond after leaving the bases loaded (and scoring no runs) in the bottom of the first. From there, it was a Braves offensive onslaught that led to a 9-0 shutout win over the Phillies on Friday night.
Phillies starter Taijuan Walker gave the Phillies a carbon copy of his struggles to start his year. The 33-year-old righty allowed seven earned runs on seven hits, with three walks and four strikeouts. Walker’s biggest mistake of the night was allowing a three-run home run to Matt Olson in the second inning that put Atlanta up 6-0.
However, the reality was that Walker struggled from the first pitch he threw all the way through the 89th, which finally got him out of the fourth frame. His earned run average (ERA) increased from 7.36 to 9.16 by the time he departed the game after four innings. By that point, the game was out of hand, with Atlanta leading 7-0 already.
The Phillies wasted potential run-scoring opportunities in the first, second, and third innings before Atlanta’s Martin Perez settled in to limit hits. The 35-year-old lefty secured his first win of the season after a six-inning outing where he allowed no runs on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Perez lowered his ERA from 3.14 to 2.21 with his impressive performance against Philadelphia.
The Phillies will have a difficult task tomorrow as aces battle in South Philly. Cristopher Sanchez (2-1, 2.01 ERA) battles Chris Sale (3-1, 3.27 ERA) in the middle game of the three-game series between Philadelphia and Atlanta. Philly will be attempting to snap a three-game losing streak and a string of seven losses in their last 10 contests. The Braves are streaking in the other direction; they’ve won seven of their last 10 ballgames. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 pm EST at Citizens Bank Park tomorrow night.
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