BRAVES ONE STEP CLOSER TO CLINCHING NL EAST

The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4 on Thursday afternoon in the finale of a three-game set at SunTrust Park, ending a three-game losing skid for the NL East leaders.

Ronald Acuna Jr. opened the scoring with a two-run homer off of Aaron Nola in the bottom of the third inning.  It was his 40th home run of the season. Acuna thusly became the second-youngest player in baseball history to notch 40 homers in a season.  Austin Riley also had a solo shot for the Braves in the bottom of the sixth.  Freddie Freeman contributed a two-run single that broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth.

Mike Soroka nabbed the win for Atlanta after surrendering just two runs and five hits, walking none and striking out five in five innings.   Mark Melancon picked up the save.

The Braves are only a win away from clinching their second straight National League East title.  They will host the San Francisco Giants this evening in the opener of a three-game weekend series at SunTrust Park.  First pitch is slated for 7:20 pm.  The game will not air on WLAQ 1410 AM and 96.9 FM due to our broadcast of high school football.  We will rejoin coverage by the Braves Radio Network for the remainder of the series.

The Braves could clinch the division tonight with a win over the Giants or a loss by the Washington Nationals.