Braves take NL East title with sweep over Phillies

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The Atlanta Braves got six solid innings from starter Ian Anderson and home runs by Jorge Soler and Austin Riley to beat the visiting Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 on Thursday, securing their fourth straight NL East championship.

Anderson (9-5) calmed down after escaping from a jam in the second inning and allowed two runs on three hits and three walks with two strikeouts for his fourth straight decision. He has not lost since returning from the disabled list on Aug. 29 after recovering from shoulder pain.

In sweeping the three-game series, Atlanta’s three starters combined to allow just four runs, three earned, in 20 innings. The Phillies never had a series lead.

Atlanta closer Will Smith pitched a perfect ninth, striking out two, to earn his 37th save. I fan Ronald Torreyes to end the game.

The Braves (86-72) have won six in a row, 10 of their last 11 and are 42-27 since the All-Star Game. The Phillies (81-78) have lost four in a row.

Philadelphia lost seven of the nine games played in Atlanta, allowing the Braves to take the season series 10-9.

The losing pitcher was Kyle Gibson (10-9), who pitched 4 1/3 innings and allowed five runs, four earned, four hits and two walks. Fan eight.

The Braves used the long ball to jump ahead. Soler hit his first career start home run to start the game, his 26th home run of the year.

Riley hit his 33rd home run to start the fourth inning. Atlanta added another run that inning when Travis d’Arnaud walked with two outs and came home with a double from Dansby Swanson.

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The Braves added two runs in the fifth to take a 5-0 lead. Freddie Freeman stretched on a one-out error and scored on Ozzie Albies’ triple, the hit that chased after Gibson. Albies scored when Riley saluted reliever Connor Brogdon with an RBI single off a broken bat.

The Phillies cut the deficit to 5-2 in the seventh when Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run shot, his 26th home run of the year.

Philadelphia added another run in the eighth when JT Realmuto hit a solo shot to left field, his 17th home run, off reliever Luke Jackson.

Reference-torontosun.com

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