Phillies capitalize on Braves’ mistakes to take series with 7-2 win

Rob Thomson has managed the Phillies on an interim basis for 55 days, not nearly long enough to establish a distinctive style of helmsmanship. If anything, the longtime coach has projected consistency, calm, and a steady hand.

But there he was late Tuesday night, after the Phillies scored less than four runs for the 11th time in 14 games, contemplating changes.

“We’re talking about a lot of things with the lineup,” Thomson said, “to try to inject some runs in there.”

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Thomson may have done casino-level shuffling, too. But he prefers to talk through such changes with his coaches and communicate them to the players, and with the series finale against the Atlanta Braves set to begin at 12:35 p.m. Wednesday, he stuck with the status quo.

For one game, at least, it paid off.

The Phillies didn’t generate much offense through four innings against Braves starter Charlie Morton, but were disciplined and opportunistic in the fifth. They sent eight batters to the plate, capitalizing on two Braves errors, and scoring five runs to fuel a 7-2 victory in the rubber match of the three-game series.

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“This was definitely big for us,” J.T. Realmuto said after the Phillies temporarily moved back into a tie for the final National League playoff spot. “It was good for us to turn around and win a series against a really good team in our division.”

It was a big victory on several fronts. Not only did the Phillies rebound after getting swept last weekend by the Chicago Cubs, but they continued to state a case for the front office to add to the roster before Tuesday’s trade deadline.

“Everybody in here knows that we have a good team, and I know the front office thinks that as well,” said Kyle Gibson, who held the Braves to little more than Matt Olson’s two-run homer in six innings. “They know that we have a contending team. It’s just about taking care of business when the opportunities are in front of us.”

In the short term, that means beating up on the 40-58 Pirates in a four-game series that opens Thursday night in Pittsburgh. One of the Phillies’ most annoying signatures over the past few seasons has been struggling against non-contending clubs.

Look no further than the Cubs series.

“Make sure that we’re not taking anybody lightly,” Thomson said. “Don’t take anything for granted. You go in there, play your game, you get out front, put the foot on the pedal and run over people.”

The seven runs against the Braves marked the Phillies’ highest output since a 10-0 victory July 16 in Miami and only the second time since July 5 that they scored more than six runs in a game. And it happened without them hitting a home run and mustering only two extra-base hits, including Nick Castellanos’ fly-ball double that fell between three Braves players in right field.

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But it won’t dispel the notion that the Phillies would be wise to push scorching Alec Bohm, who stretched his hitting streak to 12 games, or rookie Bryson Stott, who continued to have quality at-bats, closer to the top half of the order.

Bohm, in particular, is carrying the offense at the moment. After Stott led off the big fifth inning with a walk and advanced to third base on an errant pickoff throw by Morton, Bohm singled through the left side to drive him in for a 1-0 lead. Bohm tacked on an RBI double in the sixth inning and is now 34-for-80 (.425) over his last 22 games.

Yet Bohm continues to bat mostly out of the No. 7 spot.

Bohm said he’s “indifferent” to where he hits in Thomson’s order. He batted eighth, seventh, sixth, second, and even led off once this season under deposed manager Joe Girardi. Since Thomson took over, Bohm hasn’t risen higher than fifth.

“He could hit probably anywhere in the lineup, but I like where he’s at right now,” Thomson said. “He’s being productive. He’s comfortable there. Probably leave him there. But who knows down the road?”

Regardless, the bottom of the order made the Braves pay for their miscues. One batter after Morton’s error, second baseman Robinson Cano booted a Didi Gregorius grounder in the hole. Odúbel Herrera, making a rare start, followed with an RBI single.

Realmuto’s single made it 5-0, and from there, the Phillies were mostly on autopilot before hopping a 45-minute flight to Pittsburgh, where Thomson would likely keep mulling the lineup from 30,000 feet.

Gibson didn’t have to contend with Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr., who got the day off. Still, he scattered a couple of hits and walks and held Atlanta scoreless through five innings.

At a pivotal point in the game, Gibson threw a four-pitch top of the fifth, barely allowing Morton a break before going back out to the mound.

“I don’t want to speak for Charlie, but I’ve been on the other end of that and that’s tough once you get in the fifth or sixth inning,” Gibson said. “I’m always trying to have quick innings.”

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The Phillies had a chance to break the scoreless stalemate in the fourth inning. But with two on and one out, Castellanos grounded into a rally-killing double play.

Cue the boos.

It was a common reaction during the homestand given the $100 million slugger’s ongoing lack of power. Castellanos led off the sixth inning with the bloop double and scored on Bohm’s double. It marked only his fourth extra-base hit this month. He hasn’t homered since June 30.