Schwarber Homers as Phillies Beat Braves

Kyle Schwarber hit his major league-leading 41st home run and Zack Wheeler carved through six innings as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the visiting Atlanta Braves 4-2 on Saturday, per Field Level Media.

The NL East race got a little louder. The Phillies evened the four-game set at 1-1 and moved within four games of first-place Atlanta after Friday's series-opening loss.

Wheeler deals, Schwarber leads

Wheeler (12-5) allowed one run and three hits with nine strikeouts. That is the kind of night Philadelphia needed against the club sitting on top of the division. Schwarber finished with two hits, including the league-leading blast that keeps him alone atop the home run board. Bryce Harper, Derek Hill, and Luis Arraez also collected two hits apiece as the Phillies piled on seven hits against Martin Perez.

Perez (8-9) lasted only 3 2/3 innings and was charged with four runs on seven hits. Atlanta had won nine of its previous 11 heading into Saturday. The bats stayed quiet outside of two solo shots once Wheeler got settled.

Philadelphia's lineup did not need a parade of multi-run innings. It needed traffic and one swing from the middle of the order. Schwarber supplied the headline. Wheeler supplied the length. That combination is how you claw back into an East race overnight.

Acuna and Riley, East math

Ronald Acuna Jr. and Austin Riley each went deep for the Braves' only runs. Five hits total for the visitors. Nine punchouts for Wheeler. The math was simple for Philadelphia once the early offense stuck and the bullpen protected it.

A four-game cushion is not a lockdown in September, especially with these two clubs still staring at each other for the rest of the set. The Phillies answered Friday by evening the series and cutting the East gap to four. That is the whole story of a Saturday night in Philadelphia.

Atlanta still owns first place. Philadelphia just reminded everyone the gap is playable. Wheeler giving length with nine strikeouts and Schwarber sitting alone at 41 home runs is exactly how the Phillies want to look when the East gets loud in September. The bullpen closed it. The series is even. The chase is back on in the NL East, and Saturday night proved it.

For more September board already on Smacktok, see Sale's win in the series opener and Alvarez's two-homer night. Saturday was Schwarber's 41st and a tighter East.