ATLANTA (AP) — From his view in left field, Matt Kemp saw a succession of awkward hacks from Philadelphia’s hitters.
Wasn’t hard to figure out why — R.A. Dickey’s knuckleball was in top form.
Dickey allowed only three hits in seven innings to earn his first win in five weeks and lead the Atlanta Braves over Ben Lively and the Phillies 3-1 on Thursday night.
“You saw a lot of ugly swings,” Kemp said. “That meant his ball was moving.”
In the seventh, Aaron Altherr struck out and sank to his knee. In the fifth, Maikel Franco’s missed swing sent his bat sailing into the protective netting behind home plate, causing a delay of several minutes.