Braves 4 - 5 Phillies
Final
  for this game

Braves, Phils play out the string in Philadelphia

Sep 26, 2014 - 2:54 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Ervin Santana was one of the first to let his frustrations come out last weekend when the Atlanta Braves were eliminated from the playoff race.

Santana will try to keep cool and avoid a fourth straight losing start on Friday evening in the opener of a three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Santana has given up 12 earned runs over his three-start slide, five of those coming over five innings of a loss to the New York Mets on Sunday. That setback officially eliminated the offensively-slumping Braves from the playoff race.

"It's tough because we haven't been playing well lately," Santana told Atlanta's website following the setback. "We have our confidence up, but at the same time, you have to throw a complete-game shutout or something like that to get a win. It's pretty tough."

The 31-year-old righty fell to 14-10 with a 3.88 earned run average and is 4-1 with a 3.11 ERA in six lifetime encounters with the Phillies.

Atlanta has not been able to end its troubles at the plate since Santana's last start. The Braves lost a 10-1 decision to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, the 12th time in the past 13 games they were held to three runs or fewer.

They have scored two runs or fewer in 16 of their last 14 games while going 5-17 in September.

"The game describes how our season went. ... Not very good," shortstop Andrelton Simmons said.

Things haven't gone well for the Phillies this season either, as they have lost five of their past seven. Thursday's 6-4 loss to the Miami Marlins clinched the club's first last-place finish in the National League East since 2000.

In-season pickup Jerome Williams will start tonight for the Phillies and has gone 4-2 with a 2.45 ERA in eight starts since being claimed off waivers.

The 32-year-old righty beat Oakland 3-0 on Sunday, hurling seven scoreless innings of four-hit ball. That made him the first pitcher in major league history to beat one team with three different clubs in the same season as he also recorded wins over the A's while with Houston and Texas.

"That is crazy," Williams said. "For one, you would never think that you would face the same team that much."

Williams is 1-3 with a 5.13 ERA in his career versus the Braves spanning seven games with six starts.

The Braves lead the season series with the Phillies 9-7, winning six of seven in Philadelphia.






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