Atlanta, GA – Chipper Jones hit a two-run home run in the 11th inning as the Braves outlasted the Phillies, 15-13, in the second of three games from Turner Field.
After Chad Durbin (1-0) set the Phils down in order in the 11th, Dan Uggla led off the bottom of the inning with a single off of Brian Sanches (0-1) and Jones followed with a shot on a 3-2 pitch over the wall in center.
"That's one of the craziest baseball games I've ever been a part of," said Jones. "It's just one of those games where you expect a pitchers duel and it be a low scoring game. But, man, it just seemed like nobody could get any outs."
Brian McCann hit the eighth grand slam of his career, Martin Prado went 3- for-6 with three RBI and a run scored and Tyler Pastornicky went 3-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored for the Braves, who had dropped three of four coming into the game.
Carlos Ruiz hit a three-run home run and drove in a career-high seven runs while Laynce Nix added a three-run double for the Phillies, who had won three of four coming in.
Neither starter factored into the decision as Roy Halladay was torched for eight runs on 12 hits in 5 1/3 innings for Philadelphia while Tommy Hanson gave up four runs on eight hits over 3 2/3 frames for Atlanta.
"When you have games like this and your teammates are out there grinding, you feel like you've let them down," said Halladay. "They were getting it done and I didn't and that's the difference tonight."
The Phils scored four times in the third to grab the lead. Jimmy Rollins hit a one-out single and Placido Polanco followed with a base hit to put runners at the corners. Shane Victorino then hit a single to score Rollins and Hunter Pence walked. After Ty Wigginton fouled out, Nix hit a double just over the head of Eric Hisnke in right field to clear the bases.
Ruiz and Freddy Galvis added back-to-back RBI doubles in the fifth to make it 6-0, only to see the Braves get them all back in the home half.
With the bases loaded and one out, Michael Bourn hit a single to right to score one and Prado followed with an RBI infield single. After Freddie Freeman popped out, McCann drilled a pitch over the right-field wall to clear the bases and tie the game.
Atlanta then took the lead in the sixth on a two-run single from Jason Heyward that scored Hinske, but the Phils took it back in the seventh when Ruiz hit a three-run home run for a 9-8 game.
Ruiz was at it again in the eighth. After the first two batters recorded outs, a pair of infield singles from Pence and Wigginton was followed by a walk from John Mayberry. Ruiz then hit a double to right to clear the bases and make it 12-8.
The Braves again answered in their turn. An RBI single from Pastornicky got one across and a bases loaded walk from Bourn after Schwimer entered forced in another. Prado followed with a two-run single and Freeman's sacrifice fly made it a 13-12 game.
However, the Phils tied the game in the ninth when, with two outs and Juan Pierre on third, Victorino beat out an infield single.
Game Notes
It was a season high in runs for both teams...The last time Halladay gave up a home run was on September 19, 2011...The Phillies had won eight straight against the Braves...Joe Blanton pitches for the Phillies on Thursday while Randall Delgado will toe the rubber for Atlanta...Halladay last allowed as many as eight earned runs in a start on May 5, 2007 for Toronto against Texas, when he was charged with nine over 5 1/3 innings in an 11-4 loss.
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