Thursday March 28th, 2024 8:46AM

Dickey, Braves stifle Phillies in 3-1 victory

By The Associated Press

ATLANTA — R.A. Dickey allowed only three hits in seven innings to earn his first win in five weeks and lead the Atlanta Braves over Ben Lively and the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 on Thursday night.

The 42-year-old Dickey (4-4) set a season high with eight strikeouts. The knuckleballer gave up no walks for the first time this season. He allowed one run in his first victory since May 2 against the Mets.

Dickey yielded a leadoff single to Tommy Joseph in the second and didn't allow another hit until Odubel Herrera's leadoff double in the seventh. Herrera scored from second on Maikel Franco's single to right field with two outs.

Matt Kemp had a run-scoring double in Atlanta's two-run first inning.

Jim Johnson pitched a perfect ninth for his 12th save.

One day after Mike Foltynewicz gave up only four hits in seven scoreless innings in a 14-1 win for the Braves, the Phillies again struggled at the plate. Herrera's double was Philadelphia's only extra-base hit.

Lively (1-1), a rookie right-hander making only his second start, struggled in the first inning. Ender Inciarte walked, moved to second on Brandon Phillips' double and scored on a grounder to second by Nick Markakis. Kemp's double drove in Phillips.

Lively didn't allow another run until the sixth. Matt Adams singled and scored from first when Tyler Flowers doubled over Herrera in center field. Herrera was slow to react before finally turning too late to run toward the wall.

Lively allowed three runs and nine hits in seven innings. He has a 2.57 ERA through two major league starts.

With runners at first and second, Inciarte made a running catch at the wall of Cesar Hernandez' drive off Arodys Vizcaino in the eighth. Inciarte also outran a drive by Aaron Altherr in the ninth.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Phillies: Joaquin Benoit will throw a bullpen session on Friday as he moves closer to returning from the 10-day DL with a left knee sprain. Manager Pete Mackanin said Benoit is "progressing nicely" and could be activated Sunday.

Braves: Flowers caught Dickey for the first time to give the knuckleball specialist's usual catcher, Kurt Suzuki, a break. Manager Brian Snitker said he first thought about giving Suzuki a break from the abuse that comes with trying to catch the knuckleball "when he was getting the crap beat out of him" in Dickey's last start.

BAT STICKS IN NET

There was a delay of several minutes in the fifth when Franco, on a missed swing, flung his bat into the protective netting behind home plate. The bat stuck in the net, too high to be easily reached. A Braves' grounds crew worker brought a ladder on a cart as field director Ed Mangan helped. Before the ladder could be extended, stadium security guard Joe Copeland managed to untangle the bat from the fans' side of the net.

ON DECK

Phillies: A nine-game road trip continues at St. Louis on Friday. RHP Jeremy Hellickson (5-3) is 2-1 with a 5.03 ERA in three career starts against the Cardinals.

Braves: RHP Julio Teheran (5-4) likely will need improved results if he is to extend his personal two-game winning streak in Friday night's series opener against Matt Harvey and the Mets. Teheran has allowed a combined 10 runs in the two wins, including seven runs in five innings in a 13-8 win at Cincinnati on Sunday.

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