Phillies break out the bats in 7-5 victory to salvage doubleheader split with Braves

In four weeks, if everything goes according to script — or at least if the presumed playoff seedings hold — the Phillies and Braves will be right back here in the midst of a best-of-five divisional round series.

And imagine what a slugfest that will be.

For now, consider these few days — and next week in Atlanta, too — to be a palate-whetting appetizer. An amuse-bouche, in foodie parlance. Because any fan of heavy hitting was surely amused by what happened in two games over nine hours Monday at Citizens Bank Park.

Two of the sport’s highest-scoring offenses swapped haymakers and split a doubleheader. The Braves won by day, 10-8 in 10 innings, even though Bryce Harper banged a game-tying two-run homer with two out in the ninth. By night, the Phillies countered with a four-run first-inning ambush in a 7-5 victory.

» READ MORE: Bryce Harper, $330 million bargain? Sizing up his first five years with the Phillies, and what’s ahead.

The teams combined for 34 hits, 17 apiece, including eight home runs (the Braves won, 5-3, on that count). No lead felt safe. Not the Braves’ 8-4 cushion in the sixth inning of the matinee, nor the Phillies’ 7-3 edge in the fifth inning of the nightcap.

Want offense? Check back Tuesday night (maybe), when Zack Wheeler faces the Braves’ Max Fried in a matchup of aces.

“Those dudes can play over there,” Phillies center fielder Brandon Marsh said. “Every game against them is going to be a big one. Just really glad and really fortunate to come away with that second one.”

Especially after the way the first game ended.

Harper bashed a first-pitch changeup to center field against Braves closer Raisel Iglesias. It marked the third time in three weeks — Aug. 23 against the Giants, and Aug. 30 against the Angels — that he hit a late-game homer.

And for the third time, the Phillies lost, with José Alvarado giving up two runs in the 10th.

“It is disappointing,” manager Rob Thomson said between games.

“That dude,” Marsh said of Harper, “clutch is his middle name. We’re looking forward in the future to taking advantage of those late-game homers from [No.] 3.”

The Phillies did the next-best thing. They jumped on Braves righty Kyle Wright, rushed back from a minor league assignment to make his first start since injuring his shoulder in May. Six of the first seven batters reached base. In all, nine batters came to the plate.

» READ MORE: Taijuan Walker’s struggles leave Phillies without clear third starter for MLB postseason

The biggest hit: Try a two-run double by Edmundo Sosa, stepping into the lineup at third base for resting Alec Bohm.

If you closed your eyes and listened to the roar of a surprisingly robust weekday crowd of 30,572 for a makeup game — or the 27,025 paying customers at night — you might have guessed it was already October.

In time, maybe it will be.

The Phillies held their 1½-game lead for the top National League wild card back over the Cubs, who won late in Colorado. The Braves, meanwhile, will clinch their sixth consecutive NL East crown with any combination of four wins or Phillies losses.

With two more games in this series, it’s mathematically possible for them to do it — and pop champagne — before they leave town.

“I think the message to our ballclub is we’ve got to play our game,” Thomson said. “The magic number for somebody else, I don’t think that really means anything.”

Tough day for Phillies starters. Taijuan Walker gave up six runs (five earned) in 5⅓ innings in the first game; Michael Lorenzen allowed four runs in five innings in the second.

“If you take [Matt] Olson out of the game, [Lorenzen] pitched a lot better than what the line says,” Thomson said. “I think Olson likes to hit in this ballpark a little bit.”

The Braves first baseman likes to hit everywhere. He produced his league-leading 49th and 50th homers against Lorenzen, who otherwise scored points for wiggling out of a 29-pitch first inning without allowing a run.

» READ MORE: There’s one feat still eluding Craig Kimbrel, and he hopes to ‘check off that box’ with the Phillies.

It’s unclear whether Lorenzen will stay in the rotation. He has a 5.23 ERA in seven starts since coming over in a deadline trade, and the Phillies probably will scale back to a five-man rotation after the day off Thursday.

Lorenzen has started and pitched out of the bullpen in his career. Asked if he has a preference, he gave a verbal shrug.

“I just want to win,” Lorenzen said. “That’s it.”

Led by unsung Jeff Hoffman, the bullpen rebounded by allowing one run in four innings in the second game. But as a group, Phillies relievers have given up a total of 14 runs in 29 innings over the last eight games.

“I think we’re just going through a period,” Thomson said. “They need to get some rest. It’s tough to get rest right now. We make it to that off day [Thursday], we’ll be fine. I trust there’s good stuff down there. They’ve got to throw strikes, they’ve got to hit their spots, command the baseball. And they will again.”

Thomson explained that he chose Alvarado because he liked the matchups, even though he figured the Braves would hit for lefty-swinging Eddie Rosario. They did, and righty-hitting Kevin Pillar drove in the go-ahead run.

Trea Turner halved an 8-4 deficit in the opener by bashing a two-run homer against Braves reliever Dylan Lee in the seventh inning. He also joined an exclusive fraternity, becoming the sixth Phillies player with 25 homers and 25 steals in a season.

Jimmy Rollins reached both marks in back-to-back seasons, with 25 homers and 36 steals in 2006 and 30 homers and 41 steals in his 2007 MVP season. Before that, Bobby Abreu did it three times (2000, 2001, 2004). Von Hayes (1989), Juan Samuel (1987), and Mike Schmidt (1975) did it once apiece.

It has been a dramatic turnaround for Turner, who had 10 homers (and a .235 average and .657 OPS) on Aug. 3. He has 15 homers in 33 games since then.