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Hellickson, Hernandez Lead Phillies Past Braves 4-3 

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jeremy Hellickson pitched seven strong innings and Cesar Hernandez had three hits and scored two runs to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.

Hellickson (3-0) allowed two runs and just three hits with five strikeouts and no walks.

Freddy Galvis, Aaron Altherr, Tommy Joseph and Maikel Franco each drove in runs for the Phillies, who snapped a seven-game losing streak to Atlanta.

Freddie Freeman and Adonis Garcia homered for the Braves, who have dropped four straight after sweeping four games from San Diego.

Bartolo Colon (1-2) allowed four runs and 11 hits in seven innings.

Hector Neris gave up a leadoff home run to Garcia in the ninth and waited out a 24-minute rain delay before recording his second save in as many tries.

The Phillies took an early lead in the second on Galvis' RBI single that bounced off Colon, allowing Michael Saunders to score. They got two more in the third on RBI hits by Altherr and Joseph to give Hellickson a 3-0 lead.

Hellickson didn't allow a hit until Ender Inciarte's leadoff double in the fourth. Inciarte scored on Garcia's RBI single to left. Freeman's 425-foot solo shot off the second deck in right-center in the sixth was the only other run Hellickson surrendered. Freeman, who has seven homers, entered second in the league with a .407 average.

Philadelphia took a 4-2 lead in the seventh on Franco's RBI groundout. The Braves pulled within a run in the ninth on Garcia's homer.

Hellickson, who has a 1.88 ERA, also was helped by Hernandez's defense. Hernandez ranged far from his position at second base into shallow right field and stretched out to rob Matt Kemp of a leadoff hit in the second.

After he was given Thursday off by Braves manager Brian Snitker, shortstop Dansby Swanson was back in the lineup but dropped from second to eighth in the lineup. Swanson went 0 for 3 with a strikeout and is hitless in his last 11 at-bats. He is 3 for 36 over his last nine games to drop his average to .125.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Braves: Kemp went 0 for 4 and is 0 for 8 since returning from the 10-day DL on Thursday. Kemp strained his hamstring on April 7.

Phillies: OF Howie Kendrick has a strained oblique and likely will be out longer than expected. Kendrick was eligible to return from the 10-day DL on Wednesday with what originally was thought to be a minor rib injury. Manager Pete Mackanin said before the game that the injury was more serious and Kendrick could be two weeks away from returning. ... Reliever Pat Neshek returned from the paternity list and Ben Lively was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

BIG PIECE'S RETURN?

Ryan Howard is expected to be in the starting lineup for Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday night. The Braves signed the former Phillies slugger, nicknamed the "Big Piece," in hopes that the veteran can provide some pop to the lineup.

UP NEXT

Braves: LHP Jaime Garcia (0-1, 4.67) takes the mound for Atlanta on Saturday night in the second contest of the three-game series. In 17 1/3 innings, Garcia has allowed 18 hits - including four homers - and walked seven.

Phillies: RHP Jerad Eickhoff (0-1, 2.75) has allowed three earned runs or less in all three starts this season and 12 in a row over the last two seasons.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

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