Instant Replay: Phillies 12, Braves 2

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Whatever's gotten into the Phillies since the All-Star break, it's made the middle of the summer more exciting even during a lost season.
 
Pete Mackanin's club continued to mash Saturday night, beating the Braves, 12-2, for their third straight win and 12th in 14 games since the All-Star break.
 
The 12 runs are the most the Phils have scored this season. Since the break, they own baseball's best record (12-2) and have scored the second-most runs in the National League (78). They've outscored their opponents by 35 runs.
 
At the break, the Phillies were on pace for 111 losses. They're now on pace for 99.
 
Starting pitching report
Aaron Nola (2-1, 3.38) allowed two first-inning runs on a leadoff homer by Nick Markakis and an RBI single from A.J. Pierzynski, but he settled down from there to give the Phils five quality innings.
 
Nola retired 14 of the final 16 Braves he faced. 
 
Mackanin pulled Nola after the Phillies took a 7-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth. He had thrown 88 pitches. The Braves had two lefties coming up to begin the sixth in Freddie Freeman and Pierzynski, so that could be the reason for the early hook. 
 
Lefties have gone 9 for 30 (.300) so far against Nola with four extra-base hits and just two strikeouts. Righties have gone 6 for 32 (.188) with two extra-base hits and 13 strikeouts.
 
The Phillies lost 1-0 in Nola's debut but they've now scored 18 runs for him over his last 12⅔ innings.
 
Braves rookie right-hander Matt Wisler was pulled after being pounded for seven runs and eight hits over 4⅔ innings. Much of the Phils' contact was loud, even the flyballs.
 
Bullpen report
Elvis Araujo, Hector Neris and Dalier Hinojosa closed out Nola's win with four scoreless innings of relief. Neris struck out three in his two innings of work. 
 
The Phillies' bullpen has a 1.79 ERA since the All-Star break.
 
Braves reliever David Aardsma didn't fare much better than Wisler, allowing five runs on five hits and two walks in one inning.
 
At the plate
Cameron Rupp crushed an off-speed pitch to the deepest part of the park in left-center field to give the Phillies a lead they never relinquished. It came with two outs in the fourth, after Maikel Franco led off the inning by narrowly missing a homer to the same spot. Franco's double caromed off the very top of the chain fence in left-center.
 
Franco later added another run-scoring double.
 
In the fifth, Odubel Herrera launched a majestic shot well into the second deck in right field. In the sixth, Freddy Galvis added a three-run homer. It was the fifth of the season for both.
 
Ryan Howard went 3 for 4 with a double, an RBI, a walk and three runs scored. Howard has 32 RBIs in 34 games since June 18, most in the NL.
 
The Phillies had 15 hits in all, seven for extra bases.
 
On the bases
Howard slid in safely past Pierzynski on a bang-bang play at the plate in the fifth. The Phillies have hit 10 singles this season with Howard on second base and he's scored five times. He scored just three times from second base on singles all of last season.
 
Injury report
Newcomer Matt Harrison, the lone veteran in the Phillies' return package from Texas for Cole Hamels, is back on the DL with back stiffness. It appears unlikely he will pitch for the Phillies this season (see story).
 
Utley update
Chase Utley, on the DL recovering from right ankle inflammation, will begin a rehab assignment on Sunday at Triple A Lehigh Valley (see story).
 
Up next
The fourth and final game of the series pits left-hander Adam Morgan (2-2, 4.05) against righty Julio Teheran (6-6, 4.71) at 1:35 p.m.
 
Morgan has allowed two runs or fewer in four of his six starts.
 
Teheran, 24, has always been stingy against the Phillies but has really struggled overall this season. His ERA is nearly two full points higher than last season's 2.89.

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