By Theo DeRosa, Sports Talk Philly staff 
Final: Phillies 5, Braves 2
PHILADELPHIA—As César Hernández stood in the box in the eighth inning, Phillies announcer Mike Schmidt gave his strategy: Bunt past the pitcher to move Michael Saunders from second to third.
Apparently, Hernández wasn't listening.
He cracked an Arodys Vizcaíno fastball to right field for a clutch two-run homer that broke a 1-1 tie in the eighth inning. Aaron Altherr followed Hernández with a home run of his own to pad the lead. Then Odúbel Herrera, facing Ian Krol, went deep. It was three straight homers for the Phillies, who finished off a sweep of the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park.
WP: Joely Rodríguez (1-0, 5.73) ❖ LP: Arodys Vizcaíno (1-1, 5.00)
Hub: Game Summary ❖ Starting Pitchers ❖ At the Plate ❖ Bullpen ❖ What's Next
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| ATL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| PHI |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 0 |
Eflin kept his pitch count low and cruised through the first six innings of the game without allowing a run. Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz did the same, setting down the Phillies without much protest and racking up nine strikeouts.
Matt Kemp jumped on the first pitch of the seventh from Eflin, a centrally-located fastball, and drove it into the stands in right to break the tie. The Phillies strung together three straight singles — Daniel Nava, Brock Stassi and Freddy Galvis each contributed base hits — to knot the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh.
With the No. 9 spot in the order due up first in the bottom of the eighth, Eflin's night ended at seven innings. Pat Neshek and Joely Rodríguez combined for a scoreless eighth.
Pinch-hitter Michael Saunders led off the bottom of the inning with a double to right against Arodys Vizcaíno before Hernández homered to break the deadlock. Altherr quickly followed with a home run as the Phillies went back-to-back and chased Vizcaíno. Ian Krol relieved him to no success as Odúbel Herrera went the opposite way for the Phillies' third consecutive home run, giving them a 5-1 lead. It was the first time the Phillies went back-to-back-to-back since June 13, 2008 in a game against the Cardinals.
Héctor Neris preserved the win, despite allowing a run, as the Phillies won their fourth straight game.
The Phils get a day off tomorrow before starting a home series with the Miami Marlins, whom the Phillies will see for the first time in 2017. Right-hander Vince Velasquez will get the ball and oppose right-hander Wei-Yin Chen on Tuesday at 7:05.
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Foltynewicz | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 3.20 |
| Zach Eflin | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2.25 |
Braves
- Matt Kemp: 2-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, .320 AVG
- Brandon Phillips: 2-4, .343 AVG
- Dansby Swanson: 1-4, .139 AVG
Phillies
- Odúbel Herrera: 1-4, R, HR, RBI, .273 AVG
- Aaron Altherr: 1-4, R, HR, RBI, .364 AVG
- César Hernández: 2-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, .338 AVG
Bullpen
Phillies
- Pat Neshek (8th): 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 0.00 ERA
- Joely Rodríguez (8th): 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 5.73 ERA
- Héctor Neris (9th): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 1.74 ERA
Braves
- Arodys Vizcaíno (8th): 0.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 2 HR, 5.00 ERA
- Ian Krol (8th): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 SO, 1 HR, 11.57 ERA
What's Next
- Tuesday, April 25, 2017: vs. Miami Marlins, 7:05 p.m.
- Citizens Bank Park
- RHP Wei-Yin Chen (2-0, 3.94 ERA) vs. RHP Vince Velasquez (0-2, 7.20 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
