Phils, Moyer Beat Braves

Moyer (2-1) gave up two runs -- neither earned -- on four hits with four strikeouts and a pair of walks. Greg Dobbs, playing for an injured Placido Polanco, went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Juan Castro, still filling in for the injured Jimmy Rollins, went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI and Shane Victorino drove home two runs. The Phillies are off to a 2-1 start on a nine-game, three-city road trip.

Derek Lowe (3-1) took the loss, giving up five runs -- four earned -- on six hits with three strikeouts and two walks over five innings. Martin Prado finished 3-for-5 and Brian McCann drove in a run for the Braves in defeat.

The Phillies pounded Lowe's sinker and found holes in the top of the first. Dobbs singled to center and Chase Utley followed by hooking a sinker into right for a base hit. Ryan Howard made it three consecutive singles, driving in Dobbs with a base hit to center. Utley took third on the play, a move that proved vital as he came home on Jayson Werth's sacrifice fly.

Some shoddy Braves defense aided a three-run frame for the visitors in the third. Dobbs doubled to right to lead off the inning then Utley walked in front of Howard's shallow fly out to left. Werth worked the inning's second free pass to load the bases then Raul Ibanez pulled a sinker into what appeared to be a tailor-made double play, but Prado's toss to Yunel Escobar was high and slightly wide, grazing off the shortstop's glove for an error. Two runs scored on that play and Castro slapped a single to right, driving in Werth for a 5-0 edge.

The Phillies returned the favor in the fifth with some shaky defense of their own. Moyer issued back-to-back walks to Melky Cabrera and Omar Infante before Matt Diaz pulled a grounder to short. Castro fielded cleanly, but Utley failed to catch the toss for an error, scoring one run. On the next play, Prado scalded a grounder to deep short where Castro lunged, fielded cleanly and fired to Utley, whose relay throw was well wide, allowing another run to score on another error from the Phillies second baseman.

The visitors were undeterred, scoring a run in the sixth on Victorino's sacrifice fly and two more in the seventh on run-scoring singles by Ross Gload and Victorino. Nate McLouth doubled to lead off the bottom half and came around to score on McCann's sacrifice fly for the final margin.

Game Notes

Moyer is now tied with Ted Lyons for 39th place on the all-time win list...Castro is batting .353 with seven RBI, doing his best to fill in for Rollins at short...Lowe surrendered just three runs over 19 2/3 frames against the Phillies last season...Moyer improved to 5-9 lifetime versus the Braves.

04/22 22:45:34 ET