Sweet revenge: Braves get back at Phillies, book Dodgers duel

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The Atlanta Braves overpowered the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-2, on Thursday to set up a showdown with defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the second round of Major League Baseball’s playoffs.

Michael Harris, Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson blasted home runs to set up a victory that sealed a 2-1 wild card series win for the Braves.

Atlanta will now travel to California to take on the Dodgers in the opening game of their best-of-five National League division series on Saturday.

The victory was sweet for the Braves, who were eliminated by the Phillies in the playoffs in 2022 and 2023.

“This is the best moment of my life right now,” Albies said afterwards.

“The last couple of postseason games they sent us home, so it feels great to do it to them here at home. It means everything.”

Philadelphia had rocked Atlanta in Game 2 on Wednesday with a dramatic extra-inning victory at Truist Park to level the series.

But the Braves attacked Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola early on in Thursday’s decider to take a stranglehold on the game.

Nola gave up walks to Ronald Acuna Jr. and Matt Olson in the first inning before outfielder Michael Harris slashed a 387-foot home run to right center-field that put the Braves 3-0 up.

Phillies manager Don Mattingly replaced Nola in the second inning but Atlanta continued to look the likelier team to score.

They duly extended their lead in the bottom of the fourth when Albies jumped on a 96.5mph fastball from Zack Wheeler to send a 419-foot two-run blast into right field.

The Phillies did finally get on the board in the sixth inning after Alec Bohm ground out to allow Kyle Schwarber to come home and leave it at 5-1.

The Braves, though, would restore their five-run cushion in the bottom of the seventh with a towering home run from Olson off Phillies reliever Jonathan Bowlan.

The Phillies grabbed a second run in the top of the eighth inning after Trea Turner’s sacrifice fly scored Derek Hill.

The Braves responded by bringing in ace starter Chris Sale to close out the game, and the veteran left-hander duly took care of business to grab the final four outs and snuff out the Phillies’ hopes of a fightback.