 for 10 runs in less than three innings. His stats over the past six starts - 10.46 ERA - look worse than the ''Saturday Night Special'' burgundy, throwback uniforms the Phillies wore for the second time in team history.''It's tough losing one of your leaders,'' Braves manager Brian Snitker said about right fielder Nick Markakis breaking his wrist. ''It was a good game to come out and score a lot of runs on the heels of what happened.'' Shortstop Dansby Swanson also was placed on the injury list before the game, but Atlanta's offense didn't miss a beat.''It feels good,'' said Duvall, who was 3 for 5 with two homers in his season debut. ''One through nine, it was impressive to be part of it.'' Max Fried (11-4) allowed four earned and seven hits, striking out six in 5 1/3 innings in his first start since returning from the injury list because of a blister on his left index finger.''He let that one inning get away from him,'' Snitker said. ''You can't let off the throttle one bit against teams like this.'' The NL East-leading Braves have won two in a row after losing six of eight. They have a 6 1/2-game lead over Washington.J. T. Realmuto and Sean Rodriguez hit two-run homers for the Phillies, who fell 7 1/2 games behind Atlanta but remain in the mix in the wild-card race.Since the Phillies swept a three-game series against Atlanta to start the season, they have lost six of eight to the Braves and been outscored 74-34.''It's unacceptable and we have to play better,'' Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said.Eflin ran into trouble after retiring the first two batters in the second. Tyler Flowers hit a single before Inciarte drove a 1-2 pitch out to right for his third homer in 136 at-bats. Eflin walked Fried and Acuna then launched his 25th homer into Atlanta's bullpen in deep right-center field.Josh Donaldson had an RBI double to start the scoring in a seven-run third and Albies finished it with a slam off Ranger Suarez on an 0-2 pitch.Eflin gave up six earned and seven hits in 2 2/3 innings.''It's my job to figure it out and get back to doing what I was doing,'' said Eflin, who had a 2.83 ERA before his slide started.The Phillies previously wore their all-burgundy unis in a 10-5 loss to the Montreal Expos on May 19, 1979, and didn't wear them again until now.ROAD WARRIORSThe Braves are 32-20 on the road, the best record away from home in the NL.FRUSTRATED FANSBryce Harper heard boos after his third strikeout of the game and 126th of the season. Several E-A-G-L-E-S chants broke out throughout the game.STREAKINGAcuna extended his on-base streak to 31 games, the longest active streak in the majors.TRAINER'S ROOMBraves: Markakis suffered a broken left wrist when he was hit by a pitch Friday night. Snitker said Markakis won't need surgery and could return in six to eight weeks. Swanson has a bruised right foot. Snitker is hopeful Swanson will return when he's eligible to come off the injured list. His stint is retroactive to Wednesday.Phillies: RHP Tommy Hunter was transferred to the 60-day injury list.UP NEXTRHP Aaron Nola (8-2, 3.64 ERA) starts for the Phillies and RHP Kevin Gausman (3-5, 5.71) goes for Atlanta in the series finale Sunday.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Braves shoot for series win in PhiladelphiaFLMHot-hitting Ronald Acuna Jr. will look to lead the visiting Atlanta Braves to a series victory in the middle game of a three-game set against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.Acuna had two hits and three RBIs in Atlanta's 9-2 win in the series opener on Friday. In the process, he extended his streak of reaching base to 30 straight games, the longest active run in the majors.The Braves had expected to have Dansby Swanson available for this series. However, the shortstop, who is hitting .265 with 17 home runs and 57 RBIs, could be out through Sunday with a sore right heel. Swanson hasn't played since getting hurt Tuesday."It's a little worse than we anticipated," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "It's a tough thing to play through." The Braves will hand the ball Saturday to Max Fried (10-4, 4.08 ERA). The left-hander hasn't pitched since July 15, when he exited a start at Milwaukee due to a blister on his pitching hand. He subsequently landed on the injured list.Fried had limited the Brewers to three hits in five scoreless innings before exiting from a game that Atlanta won 4-2."We caught (the blister) at a good time," Fried told reporters. "It was a little sensitive in the beginning, but we just wanted to knock it out. So far, I've had zero problems. I've felt normal things since." Fried said that heat and humidity have been issues regarding his effectiveness while pitching with the blister."Any time it gets a little too hot or I get overheated, I can be susceptible," Fried added.Fried has faced the Phillies three times this year, once as a starter, getting no decisions while compiling a 7.11 ERA. In seven career appearances vs. Philadelphia, including the one start, he is 0-1 with a 3.77 ERA.He will look to keep the heat on the Phillies, who came home following a two-game road series sweep at Detroit and looked flat in the series opener against the National League East-leading Braves.The Phillies managed only two runs on 12 hits. Jean Segura led the team with three hits, highlighted by a solo home run. However, they weren't able to capitalize with runners in scoring position, going 2-for-8.If the Phillies are able to even the series, they'll need an effective performance from starter Zach Eflin (7-10, 4.25 ERA).The right-hander has struggled mightily in recent outings, going 1-3 with a 9.38 ERA in his past five starts.Last Saturday, Eflin gave up five hits and three runs in four innings in a 5-1 loss at Pittsburgh. Following the defeat, he said his body had a "heavy feeling." "The stuff is just getting a little bit lighter or it's been lighter than it was earlier in the season," Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said of Eflin's pitches. "I know that's something that we have to pay attention to and talk about how to get his body feeling energetic and moving towards the plate with intensity all the way through his outing." Eflin's velocity and location both have been off through his recent outings."It's felt heavy for a little bit, but everybody feels heavy, you know," Eflin told reporters after falling to the Pirates. "It's something you go through during a season." Eflin is 2-1 with a 3.46 ERA in four career starts against the Braves, who hit him hard earlier this month. He gave up seven runs (six earned) on seven hits in three innings during a 12-6 loss at Atlanta on July 4.--Field Level Media
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