The Atlanta Braves defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 6-1 despite earning only five hits on Friday night. The play that made the difference in the Braves win was a three-run home run by catcher Brian McCann in the fifth inning. Starting pitcher Ben Sheets continued his success by pitching six innings, giving up just one run, struck out four and allowed just one run. The win for Sheets was his third straight which improved his record to 3-0.
Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels had a rough outing by lasting only five innings, gave up four hits, three earned runs and five walks. This was Hamels first start since signing his $144 million contract.
The Braves were able to get to Hamels early when a run was scored after an error by Freddie Freeman, and then the next run came on the following at bat when Michael Bourn hit a RBI single to give the Braves a 2-1 lead. McCann's home run in the fifth was the nail in the coffin, and one final run was put on the board when Martin Prado knocked in Bourn on a single to make it a 6-1 final score.
Read more on the Braves at Talking Chop and SB Nation Atlanta. Head over to Baseball Nation for news and analysis around Major League Baseball. Also, subscribe to ourYoutube Channel for video commentary.