Marcell Ozuna hits walk-off two-run homer as Braves beat Phillies, 4-2, in rain-delayed extra-inning game
The Phillies and Braves waited out a 2-hour, 45-minute rain delay between the sixth and seventh innings and played to 11 innings before Ozuna's walk-off. Kyle Schwarber hit his sixth home run.
ATLANTA — Five hours and 38 minutes separated first pitch on Thursday and Marcell Ozuna’s walk-off home run in the wee hours of Friday morning during the Phillies’ 4-2 loss to the Braves.
Despite road games awaiting both teams Friday evening, MLB directed them to wait out a 2-hour, 45-minute rain delay between the sixth and seventh innings as heavy rains and lightning moved into the region. Once play resumed, however, three innings weren’t enough to settle things.
Johan Rojas drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the 11th inning to break a 1-1 stalemate that had lasted since the third. But Joe Ross allowed a double to Austin Riley to score the ghost runner to tie things back up, before Ozuna barreled up a slider for the win.
» READ MORE: Alec Bohm drops in the Phillies’ batting order amid hitting woes: ‘It’s just bad luck right now’
Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Ross had only been available in an emergency, after pitching 1⅔ innings on Wednesday.
After allowing a first-inning run, Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo held the Braves off the board until the rain rolled in. The left-hander fanned six, bringing his season strikeout total to 25 and putting him in a four-way tie with teammate Zack Wheeler, the Washington Nationals’ MacKenzie Gore, and the Seattle Mariners’ Logan Gilbert for the MLB lead.
Four of those strikeouts on came on the sweeper Luzardo added to his arsenal this spring.
“I think I’m probably right where I want to be, had a couple good outings with my stuff, and then an outing like this where we kind of had to grind through it and still made it work,” Luzardo said. “I think it kind of shows where we’re at right now.”
He fought back from trouble in the third inning. Luzardo allowed three straight singles — though he erased one runner by picking off Ozzie Albies at first — and then Matt Olson worked a 14-pitch at-bat. Luzardo won the battle and ended the inning by inducing a double play groundout with a sinker.
Luzardo was teammates with Olson on the Oakland A’s, and texted him afterward.
“I said, ‘14 is way too many. Let’s cut it off at like, nine or 10,’ ” Luzardo said.
Braves starter Spencer Schwellenbach entered the game with a spotless ERA after two starts, but Kyle Schwarber spoiled that with one swing of the bat. Schwarber sent his sixth home run of the year 429 feet to straightaway center, tying the game at 1 in the third. It was the last run for either team until the 11th inning.
Alec Bohm, dropped to seventh in the order for the first time since 2023, continued to slump, going 0-for-5. In his first three at-bats, he came up to the plate with at least one runner on and hit into the final out of the inning. After the delay, Bohm worked a 3-1 count from Braves closer Rasiel Iglesias in the ninth, but flew out to deep center field. He made solid contact, clocking an exit velocity of 99.6 mph.
Bohm declined comment postgame.
Hitting in the cleanup spot in Bohm’s place, Nick Castellanos struck out five times.
“I think you got to give their pitchers some credit, because they got him out of the zone,” Thomson said.
Until the two hits allowed by Ross, the Phillies’ bullpen was lights-out after the break. They turned to reliever Carlos Hernández in the seventh, who had not made an appearance since March 29. Hernández, who the Phillies claimed off waivers from the Royals, stranded two runners in a scoreless inning, touching 99.2 mph with his fastball.
Jordan Romano pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning, and showed encouraging signs with his fastball velocity. His four-seam sat 95.9 mph, up from his season average of 94.6 mph. Matt Strahm and Tanner Banks pitched a scoreless ninth and 10th, respectively.
“I really felt good about our bullpen,” Thomson said. “With Romano, looks like the rest helped him. Getting Hernández in the game, showing what kind of stuff he’s got. Curveball’s, really good. Split’s good. Ninety-nine [mph]. Strahm looks like he just keeps getting a little bit sharper every outing. Banks did a great job.”