Hoskins’ big hit spurs win over Braves in 10
ATLANTA » The Philadelphia Phillies finally came through in the clutch, getting a twoout, two-run double from Rhys Hoskins in the 10th inning and beating the Atlanta Braves 5-1 on Tuesday night.
Hoskins had struck out three times when he faced Jose Ramirez (0-2) with two runners aboard. On a 2-2 pitch, the Phillies cleanup hitter lined a slicing drive against the wall in the rightfield corner, clearing the bases. Maikel Franco added another two-run double before the inning was done, sending what was left of the small crowd headed for the exits except for one irate Braves fan whose rant could be heard throughout the stadium. Hector Neris (1-1) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win.
Until the 10th, the Phillies struggled with runners in scoring position. They grounded into four inning-ending double plays — each time with two runners aboard.
Atlanta starter Mike Foltynewicz went six innings, giving up four hits and a run. He struggled a bit with his command — walking four and throwing a wild pitch — but recorded eight strikeouts, getting plenty of movement on his fastball and slider.
Nick Pivetta went five innings for Philadelphia. He surrendered a run on five hits.
Preston Tucker put the Braves ahead with a runscoring single in the first, somehow finding a hole through the right side of the infield even with the Phillies playing a shift against the left-handed hitter.
Philadelphia tied it up in the third when Odubel Herrera brought home a run with a single to shallow center field. But Foltynewicz avoided the big inning, getting Hoskins on an aroundthe-horn double play with runners at first and third.
The first two games of the series have drawn the smallest crowds in the history of 2-year-old SunTrust Park. While unseasonably cold weather could be blamed for Monday’s turnout of 17,812, the second game was played on a clear night with temperatures in the upper 60s. Even so, the announced crowd was just 17,913.
TRAINER’S ROOM
PHILLIES » RHP Pat Neshek played catch for the second day in a row as he attempts to come back from a strained right shoulder. There’s no timetable for his return from the disabled list. The 37-year-old Neshek was an All-Star last season, going 5-3 with a 1.59 ERA in 71 games split between Colorado and Philadelphia.
UP NEXT
RHP Brandon McCarthy (2-0) will try to stay unbeaten for the Braves when he starts the series finale Wednesday night against Philadelphia RHP Vince Velasquez (1-1).
McCarthy bested Velasquez when the teams faced March 31, allowing two earned runs in 5.1 innings, while Velasquez was roughed up.