Braves beat Phillies with help of error

ATLANTA — Dansby Swanson scored the tiebreaking run in the fifth inning on an excruciating defensive sequence by the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Atlanta Braves won 8-4 on Wednesday night.

Swanson singled and came around to score for a 5-4 lead on a play that started with a wild pitch by reliever José Alvarado (0-2) and a high throw from catcher J.T. Realmuto in an attempt to keep Swanson from reaching second.

The miscues got worse from there. The ball sailed past the outstretched gloves of Jean Segura at second and Bryson Stott at shortstop, then went under the glove of center fielder Odúbel Herrera for a twobase error.

It appeared both Segura and Stott could have caught the ball — neither was charged with an error — and kept it from getting away. Herrera charged and overran the ball, then looked even more hapless as he retreated to pick it up near the warning track.

Austin Riley followed with his ninth homer of the year to make it 6-4. Swanson, who went 4-for-5, connected for his sixth homer, an opposite-field shot to right, for a 7-4 lead in the sixth. He also added an RBI single in the four-run second.

Charlie Morton, a 38-year-old making his 300th career start, stranded runners at third in the first and fourth, yet he couldn’t escape trouble in the fifth as the Phillies scored twice to tie it at 4. He was chased on Segura’s RBI single.

Morton went 3-2 with a 2.19 ERA in five starts against Philadelphia last year, but he wasn’t as fortunate this time, getting charged with nine hits and four runs in 4 1/3 innings.

Ranger Suárez had a 2.49 ERA since becoming a full-time Phillies starter Aug. 2 and had a 1.91 ERA in seven road starts since joining the rotation. He didn’t fare as well against Atlanta, giving up five runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Spencer Strider (1-1) got the win in relief.