Phils Bats Quiet as Braves Take Series Opener, 4-2

ATLANTA -- If there is one thing Braves pitcher Tom Glavine is known for, it's his pinpoint accuracy. Glavine, seemingly, can put the ball wherever he wants, whenever. For the Phillies to be successful against just such a pitcher Friday night at Turner Field, they would have to force Glavine to throw a lot of pitches and be selective.

Mission accomplished. Glavine did throw a lot of pitches, 119 to be exact, as the Phils worked him for five walks.

But Glavine didn't win two Cy Young Awards for just throwing strikes. The Braves lefty is also known for his penchant for throwing pitches low in the strike zone, thus forcing the batter to hit ground balls. Realizing that the Phillies would gladly take a walk during the Braves' 4-2 win Friday night, Glavine got the ground balls he needed, which, three times, turned into double plays and ended all of the Phillies' scoring chances.

	Wes Helms went 2-for-3 with a double and a two-run homer.

Glavine pitched a five-hit, workmanlike gem for his first win of the season and despite working behind in the count to seemingly every hitter, Glavine wriggled his way out of more than a few potential jams. Six times Glavine was faced with runners on base with less than one out and five times the Phillies came up empty.

"That's why he's as good as he is," said Scott Rolen, who was 0-for-4. "I don't think he cares if he walks anyone. He can throw the ball where he wants to throw it and get the outs he wants to get."

Glavine knew he wasn't sharp but didn't think it would be a problem.

"If you're walking guys and giving up hits, then you've got a problem," said Glavine. "I made the mistake in Florida of not trying to walk someone and giving up a homer. I'm not going to do that anymore."

Meanwhile, Phils starter Randy Wolf had a similar outing to the former Cy Young Award winner. Wolf (0-2, 5.00) threw 95 pitches in five innings (55 strikes) and worked with runners on base in every inning.

Wolf's evening was typified by a rocky first where he gave up a leadoff single to Rafael Furcal, watched as Andruw Jones reached on an error by Marlon Anderson and walked Chipper Jones. With the bases loaded and two out, the lefty walked Javy Lopez on a 3-2 count.

He's lucky it wasn't worse. Just prior to Lopez's walk, Brian Jordan ripped a liner that seemed destined to be a bases-clearing rope to rightfield. Luckily for the Phils, first baseman Travis Lee stretched out and snagged the shot to save Wolf from allowing a big inning.

"I wasn't very sharp," Wolf said. "My changeup was OK, but you can't live on that."

Wolf allowed another run in the second when first baseman Wes Helms doubled, was bunted to third by Glavine and scored on a sacrifice fly by Furcal. Two innings later, Helms belted a two-run homer off Wolf to make it 4-0 and give the Braves all the runs they needed.

Helms, who platoons at first base with former Phillie Rico Brogna, finally made the team this year after three seasons in Triple-A and sporadic appearances in Atlanta. His only other major league homer came Sept. 23, 1998 against Florida.

"He left a change in my zone and I went after it with authority," he said. "Hopefully, it won't take as long this time (to hit another major league homer). I don't think it will."

After many opportunities, the Phils finally touched-up Glavine (1-1, 4.74) for a couple of runs in the seventh. Mike Lieberthal reached on a one out single and moved to third when Pat Burrell lashed a two out single to right. Lieberthal scored on a single to right by Anderson and Burrell scored on pinch-hitter Jason Michaels' first major league hit.

Mike Remlinger relieved Glavine and retired all four of the batters he faced before turning it over to John Rocker in the ninth. Rocker set the Phils down in order to notch his third save.

At 6-3, the Phillies still hold a half-game lead on the Montreal Expos for first place in the National League East. But five of the six wins have come against the Florida Marlins and if the team wants to compete in the East, it will have to hold its own against the Braves, whom it will play 18 more times.

Those games will go much easier if the Phils can score some runs. Three times Friday, the Phillies had the tying run on base. If those runners don't come around, it could be another long season.

Saturday, the Phillies will send Omar Daal (0-0, 6.10) against the Braves' Kevin Millwood (0-1, 5.73). Sunday, Robert Person (1-0, 3.09) faces Odalis Perez (0-1, 5.40) before the team heads for Chicago for its final three games of the season against the Cubs.

Notes: Anderson made his first two errors Friday night. ... Wolf has two of the Phillies three losses. ... Michaels drove in college teammate Burrell for his first RBI. ... Lieberthal had two of the Phillies six hits against the Braves.

John R. Finger
ComcastSportsNet.com