ATLANTA – Gabe Kapler showed up for the second game of his major-league managerial career without remorse. He admitted that the Phillies’ season-opening loss to the Atlanta Braves stung through the night, but he still believed in his analytically driven decisions and his “dudes” out in the bullpen.
The Phillies needed almost all of those “dudes” Friday night to rebound for a 5-4, 11-inning victory over the Braves at SunTrust Park. Eight of Kapler’s relievers, including one who started the day at the team’s minor-league camp in Clearwater, Fla., combined to allow just one run on four hits over seven innings as the rookie manager earned his first career win.