SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. (Interstat) — Michael Harris II had four hits and drove in three runs, Ronald Acuña Jr. reached base four times and the Atlanta Braves used an eight-run fourth inning to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 12-2 on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, at Truist Park. The Braves won their second straight game in the series and moved six games ahead of Philadelphia in the NL East. Atlanta improved to 88-61, while the Phillies fell to 82-67. Atlanta has clinched the season-series tiebreaker. The game took 2 hours, 29 minutes and drew 40,863.

Tyler Mahle earned the win after limiting Philadelphia to one earned run on six hits over seven innings. He struck out three. Brooks Raley took the loss for Philadelphia. Atlanta finished with 13 hits, while Philadelphia had seven. Both teams grounded into two double plays. The Phillies scored single runs in the first and eighth innings. The Braves did most of their damage in the fourth and added runs in the sixth and eighth. Mahle is 6-10. Raley is 5-8. Tim Mayza, Chase Shugart and Orion Kerkering each turned in scoreless relief work for Philadelphia. Brent Suter allowed one run over two innings for Atlanta.

The game stayed close for three innings. Bryce Harper gave Philadelphia a 1-0 lead in the first when he homered to center field. Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner struck out before Harper connected, and Luis Arraez flied out to end the top half. Mahle then retired the Phillies in order in the second and worked around a single in the third. J.T. Realmuto singled in the third, and Turner followed with a single that moved Justin Crawford to third, but Harper struck out to end the threat. Atlanta tied the game in the fourth when Acuña homered to left field. That was the start of an eight-run outburst that turned the game.

After Acuña’s homer, Ozzie Albies walked and Harris singled. Mauricio Dubón followed with a two-run single to left that scored Albies and Harris. Austin Riley singled, and Sean Murphy reached on a throwing error by third baseman Bryson Stott that allowed Dubón to score. Ha-Seong Kim walked, and Drake Baldwin doubled to right field to drive in Murphy and Kim. Acuña then capped the inning with a single to center that scored Baldwin. Acuña had three hits, including the homer, and drove in two runs. He also walked. Atlanta sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning and scored eight times to take control. The Braves led 8-1 after four innings.

Atlanta added a run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Albies that scored Acuña. In the eighth, Harris put the game further out of reach with a three-run homer to right field after DaShawn Keirsey Jr. singled and Albies doubled. Harris finished 4-for-5 with one home run and three RBIs. Albies doubled and drove in a run. Dubón had two RBIs. Baldwin doubled and drove in two. Keirsey scored a run. The homer by Harris was the final blow in a game that Atlanta never trailed after the fourth.

Philadelphia’s other run came in the eighth when Justin Crawford homered to right field. Harper finished 1-for-3 with a home run and one RBI. Crawford was 1-for-3 with a home run and one RBI. Alec Bohm had two hits, and Realmuto also singled twice. Turner added a single. Schwarber struck out twice and was called out on strikes later. The Phillies hit into two double plays and could not sustain rallies against Mahle or the Atlanta bullpen. Philadelphia’s best chance after the first came in the third, but Harper’s strikeout ended that inning.

Philadelphia pitchers combined for nine strikes, 39 balls and nine balls in play. Atlanta pitchers combined for 17 strikes, 60 balls and 17 balls in play. Mahle and the bullpen kept the Phillies from building big innings. The Braves’ offense produced 13 hits, including home runs by Acuña and Harris. The Phillies managed seven hits, with home runs by Harper and Crawford. Atlanta’s defense turned two double plays, and Philadelphia’s defense turned two as well. The Braves also turned a double play in the first and another in the second.

The Braves have now taken the first two games of the three-game weekend series. Atlanta beat Philadelphia 6-5 on Friday. The Phillies will try to avoid a sweep in the series finale Sunday. Atlanta leads the NL East by six games and holds the tiebreaker. Both teams will have 12 games remaining after the series concludes. The Braves are 88-61. The Phillies are 82-67. Philadelphia is next scheduled to visit Washington and New York, while Atlanta is set to travel to Chicago and Houston after the series. The Phillies have lost four of their last six games. The Braves have won three of their last six.

Harris was the top star for Atlanta. He singled in the second, singled in the fourth, singled in the fifth and homered in the eighth. Acuña singled in the first, homered in the fourth, singled in the fourth and walked in the sixth. Acuña’s three-hit night came after he had been a central figure in the series. Mahle improved his record and gave Atlanta length. The Braves’ bullpen closed the game and allowed only Crawford’s homer over the final two innings. Suter gave up Crawford’s homer but finished the eighth and ninth. The Phillies used Mayza for three innings, Shugart for 1 1/3 innings and Kerkering for 1 1/3 innings. Mayza struck out four, Shugart did not allow a hit and Kerkering struck out two.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Atlanta 5, Philadelphia 4. Interstat’s ELO system gave Atlanta a 50.7 percent probability to win. Philadelphia had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total of 14 runs went over the over/under line of 7.5.