Braves sweep Phillies

Atlanta left Philadelphia with a three-game sweep Sunday night, beating the Phillies 4-2 to push its winning streak to five games. (espn.com) Michael Harris II homered and collected three hits, and Ronald Acuña Jr. ended the game with a running catch in right field on Kyle Schwarber’s liner with two men on base. (espn.com) The Braves trailed 2-0 after Schwarber’s first-inning home run, then took control with a three-run fifth against Andrew Painter and Tim Mayza. Matt Olson tied it with a groundout, Austin Riley added an infield RBI single, and Ozzie Albies doubled off the left-field wall. (espn.com) Atlanta is 15-7 and has won nine of its last 11 games; Philadelphia is 8-13, has lost five straight, and sits 6 1/2 games back in the National League East. (espn.com) The sweep also widened a gap that did not exist on paper a week ago. Atlanta entered Monday with a five-game division lead over both Miami and Washington, while Philadelphia had fallen into fourth place after a 2-7 homestand. (espn.com; mlb.com) This series was lopsided from the start. The Braves won 9-0 on Friday, 3-1 on Saturday behind seven innings from Chris Sale, and 4-2 on Sunday to finish their first sweep of at least three games in Philadelphia in 10 years. (baseball-reference.com; espn.com; espn.com) The standings look sharper because Atlanta has paired offense with run prevention. MLB’s game story said the Braves led the majors in runs scored and earned run average after Sunday’s win. (mlb.com) Philadelphia’s skid has been broader than one bad weekend. ESPN’s recap said the Phillies were outscored 56-33 during a nine-game homestand against Arizona, Chicago, and Atlanta, their worst home stretch by record since June 2009. (espn.com; mlb.com) The Braves open a four-game series in Washington on Monday night, with Bryce Elder scheduled to face Jake Irvin. The Phillies start a seven-game trip in Chicago, trying to stop the slide that Atlanta just deepened. (espn.com)