Tyler Mahle was brilliant on the mound for Atlanta on Wednesday night, and it still wasn't enough. The Philadelphia Phillies scratched out a 4-3 win over the Braves in the latest chapter of an early-season set between these two National League East rivals.
This was the second meeting between Philadelphia and Atlanta in as many nights. The Braves had taken the previous matchup 5-3, and Wednesday's finale swung the other way, with the Phillies grabbing a 4-3 win to split the two-game set. One run decided it, and it came down to the late innings.
Mahle was the best player on the field. He finished with 43.5 fantasy points, a dominant outing that made him the unanimous MVP of the game even in a losing effort. He kept the Phillies' lineup off balance for most of the night, mixing his pitches and working out of trouble that would have buried a lesser starter. It's the kind of performance that reminds everyone why Atlanta wanted him at the top of the rotation, and on most nights, a start like that is worth a win. Wednesday, it wasn't.
Philadelphia's lineup found enough in the middle innings to make it matter, and the Phillies' pitching staff did just enough to hold the lead down the stretch, matching Mahle's effort with steady work of their own to close the game out.
Atlanta didn't go quietly. Ronald Acuña Jr. was his usual disruptive self, racking up 21.5 fantasy points and giving the Braves a jolt anytime he got on base. Drake Baldwin chipped in 15.5 points and Sean Murphy added 14.5, a solid two-way effort behind the plate that kept pressure on Philadelphia's pitching staff deep into the game. Matt Olson also did his part with 12.5 points, but the Braves needed one more big swing to back up Mahle's night, and it never quite arrived.
That's been the theme for Atlanta through this opening stretch. The Braves have flashed the pieces — Acuña at the top of the order, Olson providing thump, a deep and talented rotation — but they've split results with Philadelphia and dropped two of three against Miami as well. A 43.5-point night from your ace should be a laugher, not a loss, and that's the kind of game that sticks with a team trying to find its footing this early in the season.
For Philadelphia, this is exactly the sort of win that validates a lineup that has shown it can grind out close games. The Phillies have alternated wins and losses so far, but taking a game back from a divisional rival after dropping the opener is the kind of response that can set the tone going forward.
Both clubs now turn the page and look to build on what they showed this week, with Mahle's dominant, MVP-caliber effort standing out as the individual highlight of the night despite the final result.
