Phillies Bullpen Woes Haunt Team in Blown Game With Braves

The Philadelphia Phillies blew an opportunity to climb closer to the Atlanta Braves in the standings.

Aug 11, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Alex McFarlane (71) throws against the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Philadelphia Phillies did everything they needed to over the first seven innings of their game against the Atlanta Braves to be in a position to win the game.

Starting pitcher Aaron Nola was fantastic, allowing only one run on four hits and one walk in seven innings to go along with five strikeouts. Their lineup was able to take advantage of some Braves miscues, recording two runs against Tyler Mahle, neither of which were earned.

When he was lifted from the game in the seventh inning, the Phillies scored two against relief pitcher Dylan Dodd, who surrendered solo home runs to Derek Hill and Kyle Schwarber to give Philadelphia a 4-1 lead.

With Nola cruising along, interim manager Don Mattingly turned to the bullpen in the eighth inning after his starter had thrown 93 pitches. With the bullpen hierarchy and roles shaken up, it was rookie Alex McFarlane who was called upon to pitch the eighth inning.

Phillies bullpen once again lets team down

Aug 17, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jhoan Duran (59) reacts after getting final out during the ninth inning against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After another poor performance in Game 1 against Atlanta, Orion Kerkering is going to have his role changed in the bullpen. Jonathan Bowlan was used out of the bullpen in Game 2 and gave up a run for the second consecutive outing and the third time in his last four.

So, Mattingly turned to his flamethrowing rookie to bridge the gap to All-Star closer Jhoan Duran. He was excellent in his first appearance against the Braves two days ago, needing only eight pitches, all of which were strikes, to complete his inning.

Things got off to a great start, with McFarlane getting Austin Riley to line out to Hill in center field. That would be the only out McFarlane would record, as the wheels fell off after that.

Mike Yastrzemski singled to center field and Drake Baldwin hit a double. With runners on second and third, Ronald Acuna Jr. cleared the bases with a three-run home run, the second straight day that he went deep.

With the game tied 4-4, McFarlane was removed from the game and replaced by Brooks Raley, who was able to escape without any more damage being done.

FINAL: Braves 5, Phillies 4

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 6, 2026

In the top of the ninth, Mattingly turned to Duran to keep the game tied, but he was unable to do so. Ozzie Albies started the inning with a double. Sean Murphy grounded out to move him to third, and he came around to score on a triple by Riley.

Yastrzemski and Baldwin would strike out to end the inning, but Atlanta held a 5-4 lead with their closer, Raisel Iglesias, coming in. Bryson Stott, who has a ton of success against him in his career, started things off with a single.

Hill grounded out to move him over to second. Bryan De La Cruz was up next, and a miscue by Murphy behind the plate allowed Stott to advance to third. Cruz hit a hard liner, but with the defense playing in, it found the glove of shortstop Mauricio Dubon.

Edmundo Sosa was called upon as the pinch hitter, but went down on three pitches to end the game.

It was a disappointing outcome for the Phillies, who looked great for seven innings but have fallen victim to bullpen woes once again. With the loss, Philadelphia can no longer get the tiebreaker from the Braves, who have already won seven games against the Phillies this season.

Sign up for our free newsletter to receive the latest news and updates!