The Atlanta Braves dropped the third game of a four-game set yesterday against the Phillies to go down two games to one.

Wheeler Quiets Braves Bats

Zack Wheeler continued his dominance over the Braves since he joined the Phillies. Wheeler allowed just three hits and one walk while shutting the good guys’ bats down over eight stellar innings. He struck out 12 batters before handing the ball over to former Atlanta closer, Craig Kimbrel in the ninth inning.

Kimbrel was fresh off of his 400th save and would earn his second save against the Braves in as many days. Although, he did allow a solo shot from Sean Murphy to prevent Atlanta from being shut out at home for the first time since 2021.

Atlanta Braves: Morton Pitches Well in Loss

While Charlie Morton was tagged with the loss, moving him to 5-5 on the season, he pitched well. Morton twirled 5.1 innings together while allowing just two earned runs. Unfortunately for Uncle Charlie, two runs were just too many with Zack Wheeler shutting the offense down.

Morton Finishes Strong May for Braves

Morton whiffed nine batters in his 5.1 innings yesterday against the Phillies. His strikeout numbers were a little lower than usual to start the season but have surged back to normal as of late. In April, Morton struck out just under nine batters per nine innings. In May, Morton has an electric 11.89 K/9.

Braves Bullpen Finishes Strong

Morton exited the game after 5 1/3 innings and handed the ball over to the bullpen. AJ Minter‘s struggles have landed him in a lower-leverage role as he entered in the sixth. He pitched a scoreless inning and lowered his season ERA to 7.19.

Kirby Yates, Jesse Chavez, and Joe Jimenez finished the final three innings, none allowing a single run.

Jesse Chavez struck out the side in the eighth inning, lowering his ERA to 1.93 on the season.

Spencer Strider Takes the Mound for Braves to Even Series on Sunday Night

The Braves will be featured on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball at 7:10 pm EST. De facto ace Spencer Strider will take the mound to try and even the series at 2-2.