Braves avoid disastrous sweep with 6-2 win over Phillies

At least it wasn't a sweep.

That is the popular sentiment on Sunday afternoon, as the Atlanta Braves avoided a four-game beatdown with a 6-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Coming into the day, the Braves had been outscored 25-6 during the first three contests, but Julio Teheran and company were up to the task in the finale.

Teheran, who entered the day with a ghastly 7.24 ERA on the road this season, was quite good on this day. The right-hander allowed just two runs over seven innings of work, and after the pitching implosion of the last two days, that was exactly what the doctor ordered. In addition, Teheran struck out a batter per inning on Sunday, which is encouraging even against a sub-par lineup from Philadelphia.

On the offensive side, Jace Peterson was the hero of the day. The second baseman finished the day with three hits in four at-bats, but the big swing came in the fifth inning, when Peterson smacked a three-run home run against Philly's Adam Morgan. The remainder of Atlanta's offensive production was a result of multiple hits strung together, but after three days of misery, the breathing room provided by Peterson's home run was much needed, and the Braves never looked back after gaining that 4-1 advantage.

The final two innings, after Teheran's exit, were closed out by Andrew McKirahan and Arodys Vizcaino. The duo combined to allow only one hit over two innings, and if anything, Vizcaino is beginning to look cemented as the ninth-inning reliever after the trade of Jim Johnson.

On the whole, there is no pleasure in taking only one game from the NL's worst team over a four-day period, but simply avoiding a sweep was the charge on Sunday and the Braves were able to prevail. There will be no rest for Atlanta after this series, as the San Francisco Giants come to Turner Field for three games beginning on Monday. Stay tuned.