As they neared the end of their respective rookie seasons on Sunday afternoon at SunTrust Park, Nick Pivetta and Luiz Gohara staged a pitchers’ duel that was decided by a Maikel Franco homer. His fifth-inning moonshot propelled the Phillies to a 2-0 win over the Braves.
Franco turned on a first-pitch changeup and deposited it over the left-field wall to begin the fifth. His 21st homer of the season provided sufficient support for Pivetta, who scattered five hits over six scoreless innings. The Phillies’ right-hander avoided damage after Ender Inciarte began the bottom of the first and sixth innings with singles.
Gohara continued to show his tremendous potential, recording nine strikeouts and scattering five hits as he completed seven innings in his fourth Major League start. The 6-foot-3 left-hander benefited from two outfield assists from Nick Markakis, but he and the Braves’ offense were unable to overcome Pivetta and the Phillies’ bullpen.
Inciarte capped his three-hit game with a two-out single in the eighth inning. The Gold Glove Award-winning center fielder is three hits away from notching the seventh 200-hit season in Atlanta Braves history.
After Inciarte singled to begin the bottom of the sixth, Pivetta induced three consecutive groundouts against the heart of the Braves’ order. After Johan Camargo grounded out to Pivetta and moved Inciarte to second, Freddie Freeman, who missed Saturday’s game due to illness, moved Inciarte to third base. Markakis then ended the threat when his grounder found first baseman Tommy Joseph’s glove.
After surrendering Franco’s homer, Gohara ended the fifth inning with three straight strikeouts. The young lefty, who has drawn comparisons to CC Sabathia, responded to Cesar Hernandez’s sixth-inning leadoff single by inducing Aaron Altherr’s double-play grounder.
