Alec Bohm and the Phillies are struggling mightily. (Grace Del Pizzo/OnPattison)
PHILADELPHIA — It's hard to remember a worse homestand for a Phillies team with expectations than the one Rob Thomson's team completed Sunday by getting swept by the Atlanta Braves in a 4-2 Sunday Night Baseball loss.
Things actually started out pretty well for the Phillies Sunday.
Kyle Schwarber got the scoring started in the bottom of the first inning when he hit a two-run home run that, upon further review, was upheld even though Ronald Acuña Jr. believed it was interfered with:
Kyle Schwarber gives the Phillies an early lead! 💣
(Via @MLB) pic.twitter.com/8EbR7HMNF5
The Braves got a run back in the top of the third inning when Michael Harris II — who always seems to make a big play at Citizens Bank Park — led off with a home run off of Andrew Painter.
Harris again greeted Painter with a hit to lead off the top of the fifth inning, this time a single. After Acuña followed with a single of his own, Rob Thomson elected to turn to Tim Mayza. Drake Baldwin, the first batter Mayza faced, walked to load the bases. Matt Olson then tied the game with an RBI fielder's choice. Austin Riley plated Acuña with a swinging bunt down the third base line that Alec Bohm had no play on. And then Ozzie Albies doubled over Brandon Marsh's head in left field to extend Atlanta's lead to 4-2:
Ozzie drives in another run!#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/R0QN6WYXNN
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 20, 2026
Painter's final line was four-plus innings pitched, five hits, four strikeouts, one walk and three earned runs. Turning to Mayza didn't pan out as Thomson might have hoped, but Painter wasn't especially sharp either, so it's hard to second guess the decision to pull the rookie righty.
Grant Holmes — who started for the Braves — went 4 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and two runs, while striking out four. Outside of Schwarber's homer in the first inning, he was pretty effective.
Bryce Harper had a chance to tie the game with runners on second and third and two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning. He hit a weak grounder down the third base line, which seemed like it could be trouble. But Riley fielded it, and fired to first base, where Olson caught it off the hop to end the inning.
The Phillies threatened in the ninth, but Bryson Stott and Justin Crawford were ultimately stranded when Acuña made a tremendous running catch to rob Schwarber of extra bases, locking down the save for Raisel Iglesias.
The Phillies finish the nine-game homestand with a record of 2-7. They lost the final five games of the homestand, and have the MLB's worst run differential at minus-38, even worse than the division-rival Mets, who have lost 11 in a row. As the saying goes, you can't win the division in April, but you could lose it, and getting swept by the Braves at home to cap off one of the worst homestands in recent memory is a pretty tough pill to swallow.
There will be no rest for the weary, as the 8-13 Phillies will now head on the road for seven games. Strangely, after hosting the Chicago Cubs and Braves on this homestand, they'll now travel to face those two teams on the road. Aaron Nola will take the mound Monday evening at Wrigley Field, while the Cubs will counter with Colin Rea in the first of four games at the friendly confines. There's nowhere to go but up, right?
