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Braves vs Phillies game

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The gist

Braves beat Phillies 5-2 on Friday, extending NL East lead to five games.
The win tightens the division race with six head-to-head games left in nine days.

Background

The Braves and Phillies are top NL East rivals, with the Braves leading the division. This four-game series at Citizens Bank Park is crucial for the division title and playoff seeding. The Braves have dominated the season series, winning 5 of 6 before this weekend.

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 4, 2026Braves win 5-2 behind Chris Sale, extending division lead to five games. Ronald Acuña had three hits, Mauricio Dubón homered.
  2. Sep 5, 2026Phillies win 4-2, with Kyle Schwarber hitting an RBI groundout and Derek Hill tripling. Braves' Austin Riley homered in the loss.
  3. Sep 6, 2026Braves win 5-4 in the ninth on Austin Riley's go-ahead triple. Ronald Acuña homered, and Kyle Schwarber hit his MLB-leading 42nd home run.
  4. Sep 7, 2026Series finale scheduled; Braves lead series 2-1. Grant Holmes starts for Atlanta, Jesus Luzardo for Philadelphia.

Who’s saying what

Analysts
The Phillies need to win three of four this weekend to keep the division race alive, then take care of business next weekend.
Bears
The Braves have dominated the season series 5-1 and outscored the Phillies 32-16, making a comeback difficult.
Bulls
The Phillies still have an outside chance to catch Atlanta, with six head-to-head games over the next nine days.

Sources

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