Braves rally in eighth for a victory
ATLANTA » Pinch-hitter Johan Camargo doubled in two runs in the three-run eighth inning, Rio Ruiz homered and the Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 on Saturday night.
The Braves wiped out a 2-1 deficit against reliever Luis Garcia (2-5) when pinch-runner Micah Johnson replaced Matt Adams, stole second base and scored on Dansby Swanson’s single. After Garcia’s wild pitch moved up Swanson and Ruiz, both runners easily crossed the plate on Camargo’s liner to right-center.
Atlanta closer Arodys Vizcaino struck out Aaron Altherr, Maikel Franco and J.P. Crawford in the ninth to earn his 13th save in 16 chances.
Atlanta has won three straight. The Phillies have dropped three in a row.
Garcia allowed three runs, three hits and one walk in 2/3 of an inning.
Rex Brothers (4-3) earned the win after facing four batters in the eighth. He allowed one hit.
Philadelphia led 1-0 in the first on Rhys Hoskins’ RBI double. They made it 2-0 in the fifth when Franco singled and scored from third on Tyler Flowers’ passed ball.
Ruiz’s fourth homer, coming off Kevin Siegrist in the sixth, cut the lead to 2-1.
Braves starter Julio Teheran allowed seven hits, one walk and two runs — one earned — in seven innings. Teheran, who struck out five, has a 2.25 ERA over his last eight starts.
Phillies starter Henderson Alvarez allowed five hits and two walks and struck out three. He had lost six consecutive starts since Sept. 28, 2014.
He caught a break in the first when center fielder Odubel Herrera made a tough catch against the wall. Herrera was playing Matt Adams to pull when he raced to catch his fly ball in leftcenter and strand two runners.
Alvarez pitched out of a basesloaded jam in the fourth when Teheran grounded out. He stranded a runner at third in the fifth when Adams grounded out.
COMING BACK
The Braves and C Kurt Suzuki agreed to a $3.5 million, one-year contract for 2018. General manager John Coppollela said the club intends to exercise Flowers’ $4 million option for next year and bring back a catching tandem that ranks second in NL with 29 homers.
PHILLIES RECORD
Ruiz’s homer was the 215th allowed by Philadelphia, topping the club record set in 2004. The Phillies gave up 213 last year, fourth-most in the majors. They began Saturday tied for sixth-most allowed.
UP NEXT
PHILLIES » Rookie RHP Nick Pivetta (6-10, 6.57 ERA) will make his 25th start. His 89 earned runs are fourth-most in the NL, but Pivetta is 2-0 with a 3.27 ERA in two starts against Atlanta. BRAVES » LHP Luiz Gohara (1-2, 6.06 ERA) has never faced Philadelphia. The rookie will make his fourth start. He’s allowed 21 hits and four walks in his first 16.1 career innings. career