Kyle Wright pitched six scoreless innings as the Atlanta Braves beat the visiting Philadelphia Phillies 3–0 on Oct. 12 to even their National League Division Series at one game apiece.
Wright (1–0), who went 21-5 during the regular season, allowed two hits and one walk and while striking out six. He threw 83 pitches, 52 of them for strikes. It was his eighth scoreless start of the year.
The Braves’ bullpen closed out a three-hitter. A.J Minter pitched a perfect seventh, Raisel Iglesias worked around a hit in the eighth, and Kenley Jansen retired the side in order in the ninth to earn a save.
Atlanta produced all three of the game’s runs in the sixth inning on two-out RBI singles from Matt Olson, Austin Riley and Travis d'Arnaud.
The best-of-five series moves to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Saturday. The two teams split 10 games in Philadelphia this year. Game 5, if necessary, would be back in Atlanta on Sunday.
The start of Game 2 was delayed by 2 hours, 55 minutes after heavy rain moved into the Atlanta area in the morning.
The Braves were able to defeat nemesis Zack Wheeler (0–1), who beat the Braves twice during the regular season. In six innings, the Atlanta-area native gave up three runs on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts.
Wheeler didn’t allow a hit until Ronald Acuna Jr.’s leadoff single in the fourth inning and was in a groove until the sixth inning. After retiring the first two batters, the momentum changed when he hit Acuna with a pitch on the arm. Wheeler had to wait several minutes while trainers attended to Acuna, who was able to remain in the game.
Wheeler wasn’t the same when the game resumed. After Dansby Swanson walked, Matt Olson lined a single to right that glanced off the glove of first baseman Rhys Hoskins and allowed Acuna to score.
Swanson scored on Riley’s infield hit, a perfectly placed soft roller up the third base line, and d'Arnaud singled to center to plate Olson and complete the three-run rally.
The Atlanta defense turned in two stellar plays. Swanson, the shortstop, made a running, over-the-shoulder catch to end the sixth inning. Riley, the third baseman, ran down a foul ball in the eighth inning and caught it after crashing into the tarp and falling down.
