Phillies' $300 million men shine in multiple ways to beat Braves

Phillies' $300 million men shine in multiple ways to beat Braves originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

ATLANTA — Spencer Strider had been 8-0 with a 1.90 ERA in eight regular-season games against the Phillies.

Merrill Kelly had been 0-11 with a 5.49 ERA in his career against the Dodgers.

Naturally, the Phillies and Diamondbacks each won Game 1 of their NLDS matchup on the road, the Phils doing just enough against Strider in a 3-0 win and the D-backs bum-rushing an unhealthy Clayton Kershaw en route to an 11-2 romp.

Playoff time is different, and the Phillies are playing with as much confidence as any club right now. They know that advancing past the Divisional Round will still require plenty of work and focus, but they also must feel like they withstood the Braves' best shot in Game 1, shutting out a juggernaut offense in its home park and winning against that record-setting team's ace.

"We can do a lot of different things to score runs, and we've done it all year where we've scored by using our speed and some small ball," manager Rob Thomson said. "We've also won games by slugging. And Atlanta can do the same thing, trust me. So it's a good combination to have."

Small ball produced the first run, unearned, off of Strider. Bryce Harper worked a one-out walk, took second on an errant pick-off attempt and scored on Bryson Stott's two-out single in the top of the fourth. Stott, the majors' leader with 82 two-strike hits this season, drove Harper in on an 0-2 count. He hit .243 on 0-2 counts this season; the league average was .159.

Two innings later, Harper delivered some slug, catching a first-pitch, down-and-in slider from Strider and sending it over the wall in right field for the game's only home run.

"Strider, he's one of the best in the game, if not the best right now," Harper said. "He had a phenomenal year and it's always a tough at-bat. You know he's going to come at you. Just trying to get a pitch over and I was able to get a slider and do damage."

Disliked in Atlanta his entire career because he's always been a division rival, Harper has crushed the Braves the last two seasons. In 29 games, including the playoffs, he's hit .314/.409/.651, 8 doubles, 10 homers, 23 RBI.

"This is his time of year," Thomson said. "This is where he kind of shines. He doesn't get overwhelmed by the situation, that's for sure."

Harper reached base all four times Saturday night with an infield single, solo home run and two walks. The Braves are starting a lefty in Game 2, Max Fried, and Harper has hit him, going 10-for-31 (.323) with two doubles, two homers and six walks.

He might not see many more pitches to hit in the series. The Phillies hit Alec Bohm behind Harper in Game 1 and he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and a double-play ball. We'll see if it's still Harper third and Bohm fourth Monday night against Fried.

"He's a big gun-type player. He's a Hall of Famer," Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Harper postgame. "It doesn't surprise me when he does great stuff. You've got to really make pitches on him. Things like that are going to happen.

"We didn't score, so it didn't really matter. But he's definitely a guy that you're aware of where he's coming around and where he's at in the batting order because he's proven that he loves this stage."

The Phillies' other $300 million player, Trea Turner, also made a huge impact on Game 1. He singled with one out in the eighth inning, stole second, stole third and scored when Sean Murphy was called for catcher's interference on J.T. Realmuto.

Turner's biggest contribution came on defense in the bottom of the eighth. The Braves put their first two men on base to send Matt Olson, who led the majors with 54 home runs and 139 RBI, to the plate as the tying run. Matt Strahm induced a flyout to center, then Ozzie Albies laced a ball to Turner's left that the shortstop dove to snag on a hop and made a back-hand flip from his knees to Stott to start an inning-ending double play.

"I screamed," Realmuto said. "I don't know what I did physically but I definitely screamed when it happened and I don't usually do that on the field. That was incredible."

Turner's four-month malaise to begin the season is but a distant memory. He hit .339 with 30 extra-base hits and 41 RBI in his final 47 regular-season games and is 5-for-11 with two doubles and four steals in his first three playoff games as a Phillie.

"He's dynamic, and he's another one that the moment is not too big for him," Thomson said. "He kind of rises to the moment for the most part. We didn't see that early in the year, but the latter part of the year and so far in the playoffs, that's the guy that we were thinking we were going to get.

"This team, to a man, has this innate toughness to them and are really resilient, they just keep fighting. It's a great combination of talent and makeup that we have on this club."

The Phillies have the Braves on their heels early in the playoffs for a second straight year. If the series lasts the full five games, the Phils will either have their ace Zack Wheeler on the mound (Games 2 and 5) or play in front of their home fans (Games 3 and 4) at Citizens Bank Park, a venue that has been a nightmare for opposing teams the last two Octobers.