Reynaldo Lopez threw six quality innings and Orlando Arcia hit a pair of home runs, helping lead the visiting Atlanta Braves to a 7-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday.
Lopez (8-4) allowed just one run on four hits, while striking out six and walking one, guiding the Braves to their 10th win in 13 tries. Sean Murphy hit a solo home run and Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna each tallied two hits as Atlanta evened the four-game series and cut Philadelphia’s National League East lead to five.
Bryce Harper finished 3-for-4 for the Phillies while Bryson Stott and J.T. Realmuto each had solo homers. Philadelphia has lost two of three games following a four-game winning streak.
Arcia led off the top of the third with his 14th home run of the year to left-center, immediately followed by Murphy’s eighth of the season to left to give Atlanta a 2-0 lead off Phillies starter Ranger Suarez.
Lopez then worked around Harper’s two-out double in the bottom of the third by retiring Nick Castellanos.
Ozuna began the fourth with a double, then Olson’s single put runners on the corners. Ramon Laureano drove in Ozuna with a groundout to third.
Michael Harris II followed with a single to left before Arcia’s walk loaded the bases with one out. Murphy drove in the Braves’ fourth run with another groundout to third.
Trailing 4-0, the Phillies got a run back in the home half of the fourth, as Stott belted his 10th homer of the year, a drive to right field to lead off the inning.
Suarez (11-6) was replaced by Jose Ruiz after four innings of four-run, five-hit ball. The lefty struck out six and walked one.
Ruiz threw a scoreless fifth before Max Lazar came in to pitch the sixth for Philadelphia. Lazar retired Laureano and Harris before Arcia launched his 15th homer of the season to center to give Atlanta a 5-1 advantage. After Murphy walked, Gio Urshela drove in the sixth Braves run on an RBI double to left field.
In his last inning on the mound, Lopez struck out Harper and Castellanos before retiring Stott on a groundout with his 96th pitch.
With Yunior Marte pitching the seventh, Ozuna laced a one-out single before Olson gave the Braves a 7-1 lead with an RBI double.
Pierce Johnson replaced Lopez for the bottom of the seventh, allowing Realmuto’s 11th homer of the season, a leadoff smash to left-center that cut the Phillies’ deficit to 7-2.