Alec Bohm hit a go-ahead single in a five-run fifth inning and added an RBI double in the sixth, helping the Philadelphia Phillies beat Atlanta 7-2 Wednesday to take two of three from the Braves.
Kyle Gibson (6-4) allowed two runs and four hits in six innings, and the Phillies (51-47) tied St. Louis for the National Leagueโs final wild card berth, pending the Cardinalsโ game at Toronto later Wednesday.
โThis is a competitive year and weโve battled back and forth all the way along,โ Bohm said. โItโs going to be an exciting finish here.โ
โThis was definitely big for us,โ said catcher J.T. Realmuto, who was 2-for-4 with two RBIs on Wednesday. โThe Cubs series didnโt go as planned. But it was good to win this series and beat a really good team in this division.โ
Bohm, the Philliesโ No. 7 hitter, extended his career-best hitting streak to 12 games and has consecutive multihit games for the first time since reaching the majors in 2020. He is 20-for-41 (.488) with a 1.218 OPS and nine RBIs during the spurt, raising his average to .293.
Errors by Charlie Morton (5-5) and second baseman Robinson Canรณ contributed to the Philliesโ fifth-inning rally. Atlanta entered with 40 errors, third-fewest in the majors behind Seattle (32) and St. Louis (33).
โWe shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times,โ Braves manager Brian Snitker said. โWe really couldnโt get anything going offensively.โ
Bryson Stott walked leading off the fifth and took third when Morton bounced a pickoff attempt past first. Didi Gregoriusโ RBI grounder deflected off Canรณโs glove and into right field, Odรบbel Herrera hit a run-scoring single and Kyle Schwarber followed with a sacrifice fly. Realmuto capped the rally with a two-run single as he extended his hitting streak to nine games where heโs posted a .438 batting average.
โHeโs swinging the bat well with authority making solid contact and heโs had some really big hits lately,โ Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson said. โHeโs a really good offensive player when heโs swinging at strikes, using the field and letting it go.โ
Morton, 0-2 in his last three starts, allowed five runs โ four earned โ and six hits in five innings.
โI just kept wanting to keep them in situations where a ground ball was a double play and limit the extra base hits,โ Morton said. โThat kept the pressure off myself.โ
Matt Olson hit his 20th homer. a two-run drive in the sixth off the batterโs eye in center. He has five homers against the Phillies this season, including two in two days. Olson has seven homers at Citizens Bank Park out of his nine career hits.
Atlanta has lost eight of its last nine series finales. Austin Riley went 0 for 4, ending a career-best 18-game hitting streak.
โWe were probably an out away from winning the series,โ Snitker said, referring to Monday nightโs 6-4 loss inm on an eighth-inning homer. โWeโve had to fight through adversities and weโll have to do that again.โ
Realmuto and Darick Hall also had two hits for the Phillies, who are 42-16 when scoring four runs or more.
TRAINERโS ROOM
Braves: RHP Kirby Yatesโ rehab assignment was transferred to Triple-A Gwinnett as he returns from Tommy John surgery. The 35-year-old last pitched in the major leagues with San Diego on Aug 14, 2020.
Phillies: 2B Jean Segura was scheduled to make a second rehabilitation appearance for Triple-A Lehigh Valley at Durham on Wednesday night. Segura went 0 for 3 with a walk as a DH in his first game since breaking his right ring finger on May 31. … RHP Ryan Sherriff (left shoulder strain) made an appearance for the IronPigs Tuesday night, allowing one walk in 1 1/3 innings.
UP NEXT
Braves: RHP Kyle Wright (12-4, 2.95 ERA) starts Friday in the opener of a three-game series against visiting Arizona and LHP Madison Bumgarner (6-9, 3.71).
Phillies: RHP Zack Wheeler (8-5, 2.78) starts Thursday at Pittsburgh, which goes with RHP Zach Thompson (3-7, 4.64).
