LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Austin Riley blasted a two-run home run as the Atlanta Braves staged a late fightback to clinch a series-leveling victory over the Philadelphia Phillies while the Los Angeles Dodgers edged closer to an early postseason exit.
Riley’s 376-foot homer in the bottom of the eighth inning set up a 5-4 win for the top-seeded Braves, who had been largely contained by Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler through six innings at Truist Park.
“I was just trying to put a barrel on the ball, that’s all it was,” Riley said.
“It’s definitely up there with my top ones. Obviously, we still have a lot of work to do. Just going to enjoy this one tonight.”
The win squared the best-of-five National League Division Series at 1-1 as both teams head to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Wednesday.
As well as scoring the go-ahead home run, Riley sealed the Braves win with a dazzling bullet throw to first baseman Matt Olson to get Bryce Harper out on a double play after Michael Harris II pulled off a catch at the wall to get rid of Nick Castellanos.
The defeat was cruel on the Phillies who had built a 4-0 lead early on after an Alec Bohm single sent Trea Turner over home plate in the first inning before J.T. Realmuto’s two-run homer made it 3-0 in the third inning.
Bryson Stott’s sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth allowed Castellanos to make it 4-0 as the Phillies began to dream of taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the series.
Phillies pitcher Wheeler, who finished with 10 strikeouts, had looked unstoppable through the opening five innings, but Atlanta finally got on the board with an Ozzie Albies single in the sixth inning that allowed Ronald Acuna Jr. to make it 4-1.
Travis d’Arnaud then made it a one-run game in the seventh, hammering a 414-foot homer to left field off Wheeler who was subsequently relieved by Jose Alvarado, who wrapped up the inning with the final two outs.
The Phillies looked on course to take their one-run lead into the ninth inning after Alvarado and Jeff Hoffman got the first two outs of the eighth inning.
But as the tension mounted, Riley jumped on an 88mph slider off Hoffman to give Atlanta a decisive lead.
While the Braves are firmly back in contention in their series, the Los Angeles Dodgers slid closer to the exit after slumping to a 4-2 home defeat against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Dodgers were left shell-shocked after being pummeled 11-2 in Game 1 on Saturday, and still appeared to be suffering a hangover as Arizona jumped on pitcher Bobby Miller early to take a 3-0 first inning lead.
The Dodgers struggled thereafter and although they clawed their way back to 4-2 late in the game, their offensive big guns failed to fire as Arizona held on to take a 2-0 series lead that left them one win away from advancing to the next round of the playoffs.
