PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — Chris Sale pitched six strong innings and Mauricio Dubón broke open a tight game with a two-run homer in the eighth inning, sending the Atlanta Braves to a 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Sale allowed two earned runs on six hits and struck out seven, improving to 14-9 on the season. The left-hander continued a dominant stretch after he threw a complete-game shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 27, when he allowed five hits and struck out 11 in a 1-0 win. Against the Phillies, Sale retired the side in order in the first inning before working around scattered baserunners over the next five frames.

Raisel Iglesias earned his 30th save with a perfect ninth inning, striking out two. Didier Fuentes provided two scoreless innings of relief between Sale and Iglesias, allowing no hits and striking out one.

The Braves, who snapped a two-game losing streak, improved to 84-57 on the season. The Phillies fell to 80-62. Atlanta had eight hits while Philadelphia managed six.

Atlanta struck first with a three-run second inning against Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez. Lane Thomas walked to open the inning and Mauricio Dubón singled, moving Thomas to second. After Sean Murphy struck out, Austin Riley singled to right field, scoring Thomas. The ball was misplayed by right fielder Bryce Harper, allowing Dubón to advance to third. Ha-Seong Kim then grounded out to third, bringing home Dubón and moving Riley to second. Ronald Acuña Jr. followed with a sharp line-drive single to center field, scoring Riley and giving the Braves a 3-0 lead.

Philadelphia answered in the bottom of the second. Luis Arraez singled to left and scored when Alec Bohm doubled down the left-field line. Edmundo Sosa was hit by a pitch, but Bryan De La Cruz grounded into a double play, and J.T. Realmuto struck out to end the inning with Atlanta ahead 3-1.

The Phillies pulled within a run in the fourth when Bohm homered to left field, his 15th of the season. That made it 3-2, and the score remained there until the eighth.

Sánchez, who took the loss, allowed three earned runs on five hits over six innings. He struck out five and walked three. The left-hander fell to 16-5 on the season.

Bohm finished 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Arraez went 2-for-4 with a double and a single. Trea Turner doubled in the fifth but was left stranded, and the Phillies did not score after the fourth.

Sale worked out of his biggest jam in the fifth. J.T. Realmuto walked and Derek Hill flied out. Kyle Schwarber flied out, and Turner doubled to put runners at second and third with two outs. Harper popped out to third to end the threat.

The decisive moment came in the top of the eighth. With the Braves clinging to a one-run lead, Matt Olson lined out sharply to left to start the inning. Mike Yastrzemski then walked. Dubón followed by driving a pitch from Phillies reliever Alex McFarlane over the wall in left-center field. The two-run shot, Dubón’s 11th home run of the season, gave the Braves a 5-2 lead.

Dubón, who started at center field and later moved to shortstop, finished 2-for-4 with the home run and two RBIs. Acuña went 3-for-5 with an RBI, leading Atlanta’s offense. Sean Murphy walked twice and scored a run. Austin Riley contributed a single and an RBI in the second inning.

The Braves added an insurance run when they needed it most. Dubón’s home run came after the Phillies had trimmed the lead to one and their bullpen had kept the game within reach. Tim Mayza threw a scoreless seventh inning for Philadelphia, allowing one hit. McFarlane worked the eighth and was charged with the decisive runs.

Philadelphia threatened in the sixth when Arraez led off with a double, but Bohm grounded out, Edmundo Sosa struck out and De La Cruz struck out to end the inning. The Phillies went quietly in the seventh as Fuentes retired the side in order, getting Justin Crawford to strike out for the second out. In the eighth, Fuentes benefited from sharp defensive plays in center field by Michael Harris II, who made catches on line drives from Harper and Arraez.

The Phillies put the tying run at the plate in the fifth but could not push across any more runs. Turner’s double was the deepest threat, but Harper’s popout ended the inning. Bohm’s home run in the fourth was the last time Philadelphia scored.

Both teams were coming off series-openers on the road earlier in the week. Atlanta had lost two straight before winning at Washington on Wednesday, while Philadelphia had split a two-game set at Arizona, winning the opener and losing the finale. The win gave the Braves the early edge in a four-game series that continues Saturday and Sunday before the teams play again in Atlanta next weekend.

Atlanta’s bullpen absorbed the final three innings without issue. Fuentes struck out one and allowed no baserunners. Iglesias entered for the ninth and struck out Bohm and Sosa, then got Brandon Marsh to pop out foul to third base to end the game.

The teams combined for 14 hits, with Atlanta’s eight coming against three Phillies pitchers. Sánchez allowed five hits through six innings, and the Phillies bullpen allowed three hits over the final three frames. Atlanta’s offense capitalized on walks and timely hitting, scoring three runs in the second and two in the eighth.

The Braves have now won three of the five meetings between the teams this season. Philadelphia took two of three at Atlanta in April, but the Braves won two of three at Philadelphia earlier that month.

The game lasted 2 hours and 32 minutes before an announced crowd of 41,883.

In the final inning, Acuña popped out to first, Drake Baldwin singled with two outs and Ozzie Albies grounded out to end the Atlanta half. The Phillies went down in order in the bottom of the ninth.

Atlanta’s key offensive performance came from Acuña, whose three hits included a double and an RBI single. Dubón’s homer was the biggest blow, but the Braves’ three-run second inning was critical in establishing an early advantage. Philadelphia’s comeback attempt was fueled by Bohm, who drove in both Phillies runs.

Defensively, Atlanta turned one double play and got strong outfield play. Harris entered as a defensive replacement and made a pair of running catches in center field in the eighth. The Braves also got contribution from Yastrzemski, who walked and scored as a pinch hitter in the eighth.

The Phillies had opportunities but stranded runners in key spots. They left the bases loaded in the second inning before the double play eliminated the threat. In the fifth, Realmuto and Turner reached with two outs before Harper popped out. In the sixth, Arraez doubled to open the inning, but the next three batters were retired.

Sale’s efficiency allowed the Braves to navigate the middle innings without taxing their bullpen. After Sale left following the sixth, Fuentes handled the seventh and eighth, setting up Iglesias for the save.

The loss was costly for the Phillies in the tight National League race. With the defeat, Philadelphia fell to 80-62, while Atlanta moved to 84-57. The victory also gave the Braves momentum heading into the rest of the series.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Atlanta 7, Philadelphia 6. Interstat’s ELO system gave Philadelphia a 55.20 percent probability to win before the game, while Atlanta was installed as a pregame favorite with a run line of minus 1.5.