Phillies' bullpen struggles in 7-5 series-opening loss at the Braves

Lochlahn March, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Apr 8, 2025

Published in Baseball

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ATLANTA — The Phillies had not initially been scheduled to face the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner on their current road trip, but rain in the Atlanta area on Sunday pushed Chris Sale’s start forward.

It set up Tuesday’s matchup between Sale and Zack Wheeler, who finished just behind Sale in voting for the second runner-up Cy Young finish of his career.

But instead of the expected heavyweight battle, Tuesday night wasn’t the sharpest outing for either pitcher. Both Sale and Wheeler were charged with five runs in the Phillies’ 7-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves.

Instead, the bullpens made the difference. The Phillies failed to score a run on the Braves’ relievers, while Atlanta scored a run apiece on Orion Kerkering and Tanner Banks.

Wheeler’s line — eight hits, three walks, seven strikeouts — doesn’t tell the entire story. Three earned runs came after a costly blunder from Johan Rojas in the third inning, though it was scored a double for Austin Riley.

Rojas allowed a routine fly ball to drop in front of him after a miscommunication with Edmundo Sosa in the outfield. Wheeler walked Jarred Kelenic, before Sean Murphy got ahold of his sweeper for a three-run shot over the left-field wall.

On the other hand, Sale had been injured at the end of last season, and so far this year has not been the same pitcher who won the triple crown in 2024.

Sale’s velocity was down a tick Tuesday, and the Phillies tagged him for nine hits, tied for the most he’s allowed with Atlanta. Three consecutive two-out singles from Alec Bohm, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos cashed in a run in the first inning.

Trea Turner and Bryce Harper led off the third with back-to-back singles and advanced on a double steal. Schwarber hit a rocket off the outfield wall that bounced out of reach of Braves center fielder Michael Harris II, giving Schwarber enough time to slide into third for a bases-clearing triple. A double from Castellanos then brought Schwarber home.

The Phillies added another run on a Schwarber solo moon-shot homer in the fifth. He sent Sale’s four-seam 462 feet to right field. He finished a double shy of the cycle after walking in the seventh inning.

Wheeler held off the Braves until the sixth inning, when Atlanta strung together three consecutive singles to plate another run. Wheeler then walked the nine-hole hitter, Orlando Arcia, which ended his night.

Matt Strahm took over with the bases loaded and the Braves tied things up on a sacrifice fly, before Strahm escaped the inning with a strikeout. The Braves took the lead on Kerkering, who allowed two walks and a double, and added an insurance run on Banks.

Sosa finished 0 for 3 at the plate, but made an impression in his first start in the outfield of his career. In the first inning, he leaped up the left field wall to rob a home run from Marcell Ozuna.