HBP, Rhys Hoskins miscue send Phillies to first loss this postseason

The Phillies were one pitch away from getting out of the sixth inning of Game 2 of the National League Division Series several times.

But in a change from Game 1 – where the Phillies delivered several two-out hits in a 7-6 win – Atlanta pushed three runs across to win the second game and earn a split of the best-of-3 series.

The series moves to Philadelphia for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and Saturday. Game 5 will be back in Atlanta, if necessary, on Sunday.

The game started with a nearly three-hour rain delay and a pitcher’s duel between Phillies ace Zack Wheeler and the Braves’ Kyle Wright broke out from the start.

With the game scoreless and ace Zack Wheeler rolling in the sixth inning, a fastball got away from the right-hander and hit Ronald Acuna Jr. on the right elbow. A long delay while Acuna was assessed – he stayed in the game – might have affected Wheeler, who then walked Dansby Swanson on a very close 3-2 pitch.

Matt Olson hit a two-strike breaking pitch off the glove of first baseman Rhys Hoskins, scoring Acuna with the first run. The play was ruled a hit, but it was one Hoskins should have made and would have ended the inning if he did.

Austin Riley then hit a dribbler into no-man’s land to plate the second run of the inning, and Travis d’Arnaud added a single up the middle to push the lead to 3-0. Wheeler left the game after the sixth inning, having thrown just 79 pitches which could make him available to start Game 5 on short rest.

Meanwhile, the Phillies managed little offense against Wright, who kept them off-balance with his curveball which he threw 46 percent of the time, and the balls they did hit hard landed in gloves. The 21-game-winner gave up just two hits, walked one and struck out six in six innings.

The Phillies finished with just three hits overall, though the Braves managed only four – three in the fateful sixth. The top two Phillies’ hitters, Kyle Schwarber and Hoskins, are a combined 1-for-34 in the postseason.

Aaron Nola will take the mound for the Phillies Friday in the first postseason game in Philadelphia since 2011. The right-hander clinched the club’s first playoff berth since then as well as the National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Bill Evans can be reached at bevans@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BEvansSports

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