The Phillies came as close as you can get to a feel-good series-opening win over the Atlanta Braves. Sadly, they were neither playing horseshoes nor throwing hand grenades on Friday night. Instead the Braves won their eighth game in a row, while the Phillies were left reeling from a gut punch of a 9-8 loss.
The Phillies’ offense has received justified criticism for not hitting enough home runs, but that wasn’t a problem on Friday. They hit three homers, and much like they did in the opening series of the season, made life miserable for the Braves’ pitching staff.