Late Rupp Hit Lifts Phillies Over Braves, 7-4
ATLANTA (AP) — Cameron Rupp and the Philadelphia Phillies put a memorable ending on a road trip that started poorly.
Rupp hit a three-run double with two outs in the 10th inning, and the Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 7-4 after blowing a four-run lead on Thursday night.
Rupp had been 3 for 22 on the trip and was hitless in four at-bats on the night before his drive into the left-center gap off Ian Krol.
Rupp said it was nice to atone for "four awful at-bats."
The Phillies finished 5-5 on a trip that started 1-4. Manager Pete Mackanin called the trip "pretty successful."
Odubel Herrera matched his career high with four hits, including a triple off Jason Grilli (1-2) leading off the 10th.
Grilli hit Andres Blanco with a pitch, then struck out Maikel Franco. Darin Ruf pinch hit for Ryan Howard and struck out on three pitches against Krol, who loaded the bases with a four-pitch walk to Freddy Galvis.
After watching the Galvis at-bat, Rupp said he was looking for "a pitch I can drive."
"To come up and pick up your teammates ... it was kind of a big game for us," Rupp said. "To get that hit was pretty exciting."
Andrew Bailey (2-0) got the final out of the ninth, and Jeanmar Gomez pitched the 10th for his major league-leading 13th save in 14 tries.
Despite rallying from a 4-0 deficit with four runs in the seventh, Atlanta dropped to a big league-worst 8-25, including 2-17 at home.
Freddy Galvis hit a two-run homer for the Phillies, who won two of three for their first series win at Turner Field since Sept. 1-3, 2014.
After Wednesday night's 5-1 win over the Phillies, the Braves failed in their chance for their first home series win.
"Comebacks are great, but if you don't win the game it doesn't much matter," said Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who played in his 2,000th game.
Vince Velasquez allowed only two hits through six scoreless innings before tiring in the seventh. Singles by Freddie Freeman and Pierzynski and a walk to Kelly Johnson loaded the bases with no outs. Gordon Beckham, who hit into double plays in each of his first two at-bats, hit a first-pitch, three-run double. Pinch-hitter Jeff Francoeur followed with a tying single off David Hernandez.
Rookie Aaron Blair allowed four runs — three earned — and six hits in 3 2/3 innings, the shortest of his four starts with Atlanta.
EXTRA FUN
The Phillies are 4-0 in extra-inning games. The Braves are 2-5. The Phillies' four wins in extra innings lead the National League.
YOUNG HURLERS
Velasquez and Blair are 23-year-old right-handers on the two youngest rotations in the majors.
After trading Jhoulys Chacin to the Angels on Wednesday and recalling Williams Perez from Triple-A Gwinnett, the Braves have the youngest rotation with an average age of 24 years, 182 days. The Phillies are the second-youngest at 25 years, 221 days, according to the Braves.
SCORING CHANGE
An eighth-inning error charged to Herrera in center field on Beckham's single in Wednesday night's game was changed to a double for Beckham on Thursday. Beckham never stopped running as he rounded first. The change in scoring made the run allowed by Phillies left-hander Elvis Araujo earned instead of unearned.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Phillies: OF Cody Asche (right oblique strain) was 0 for 2 with two walks in an extended spring training game on Thursday. He has been on the DL since the start of the season.
UP NEXT
Phillies: After spending 19 of the last 22 days on the road since April 21, the Phillies open a home series against Cincinnati on Friday. RHP Jeremy Hellickson (2-2, 4.91) starts against Brandon Finnegan.
Braves: Right-hander Julio Teheran (0-3, 3.48) is to make his first start against the Royals in Friday's series opener at Kansas City.
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