Phillies cough up late lead in 3-1 loss to Braves

Scott Lauber, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Aug 31, 2025

Published in Baseball

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PHILADELPHIA — Think back, waaaay back to last Thursday, when the Phillies came home after getting swept by the New York Mets, their division lead reduced from seven games to only four.

Remember the hysteria?

Well, as you wake up Monday, check the standings. You’re never going to guess whose lead is back up to six games.

OK, so it could’ve been seven. The Phillies’ bats went quiet yet again and they fumbled a one-run lead late Sunday night in a 3-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves after José Alvarado allowed a two-run homer to Drake Baldwin in the top of the ninth.

And as they hustled to catch an overnight flight to Milwaukee for a Labor Day matinee (4:10 p.m. Eastern Time) with the Milwaukee Brewers, they dealt with the reality of a missed opportunity for their first four-game sweep of the Braves since 2017.

But the Phillies (79-58) still recouped most of what they lost earlier in the week in New York. And with 25 games left, they’re in the pole position to wrap up their second division title in as many years.

If the Phillies go even 12-13 in September, the Mets would have to go 18-7 to catch them.

There are troubling signs. After exploding for 19 runs in the series opener against the Braves — known heretofore as the “Kyle Schwarber Four-Homer Game” — the Phillies scored a total of six runs over the next three games.

They almost got away with it. Jesus Luzardo was brilliant in 6 2/3 scoreless innings before turning it over to the bullpen. And the Phillies were six outs from a sweep when Orion Kerkering loaded the bases on an infield single and two walks in the eighth inning and Atlanta scored the tying run on a groundout.

Alvarado inherited a tie game in the ninth and gave up an infield single to Jake Fraley. After a sacrifice bunt and a strikeout, he threw a first-pitch sinker that Baldwin hit into the left-field seats for the decisive homer.

The Phillies, meanwhile, had only one hit after the fifth inning — a two-out, standup triple by Schwarber in the seventh inning. But Bryce Harper lined out hard to right field to leave Schwarber at third base.

It almost didn’t matter because the Phillies’ superpower — before losing Zack Wheeler for the season and as far as they go without him — remains their starting pitching. They threw their lefties in back-to-back-to-back games, and Ranger Suárez, Cristopher Sánchez and Luzardo held the Braves to two runs in 18 2/3 innings.

The Phillies needed only two runs, then, to win Friday night. They scored three runs Saturday night but still walked off the Braves in 10 innings.

And after Brandon Marsh hit a two-out solo homer against tough Braves rookie Hurston Waldrep in the fourth inning of the finale, it seemed little more would be required given how Luzardo pitched.

The Braves didn’t put a runner on base against Luzardo until Michael Harris II singled to right field with one out in the fifth inning. If they thought Luzardo was on the ropes after the Phillies botched another rundown between first and second base (that’s twice in six games) and Eli White walked, he struck out Nacho Alvarez Jr. and Sean Murphy to get out of the inning.

Luzardo feuded with an umpire in his previous start against the Mets and came unglued in a five-run fifth inning. He regulated his temperature against the Braves, even as he dialed up his fastball to 98.6 mph.

But Luzardo leaned again on his sweeping slider to produce eight of 12 swings and misses. The Braves had two hits and one walk against Luzardo in 6 2/3 innings. And when Luzardo walked off the mound to a standing ovation, he tipped his cap to the 43,770 paying customers.