Deadspin | Michael Harris II delivers for Braves, who sweep series from Phillies 
Apr 19, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Atlanta Braves outfielder Michael Harris II (23) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images Michael Harris II collected three hits, including a home run, as the visiting Atlanta Braves secured a three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies with a 4-2 victory on Sunday night.
Grant Holmes worked into the fifth inning and five relievers put up zeroes for Atlanta, which has won nine of its last 11 games. The Braves outscored the Phillies 16-3 in the weekend series.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, has dropped nine of its last 11 games. The Phillies managed only six hits in this one, highlighted by Kyle Schwarber’s two-run homer.
Trea Turner opened the bottom of the first with a single against Holmes. Schwarber followed with a homer to right-center — his seventh of the season — for an early 2-0 lead.
Atlanta squandered a scoring opportunity in the second, but Harris put the visitors on the board in the third with a leadoff homer to right. Right-hander Andrew Painter (1-1) elevated a sweeper and Harris slugged it into the seats for his fourth of the year.
Holmes retired the Philadelphia order with minimal stress in the second, third and fourth innings, setting the stage for the Braves’ offense to take the lead in the fifth.
Harris and Ronald Acuna Jr. opened with singles against Painter, who was then pulled in favor of lefty Tim Mayza. Drake Baldwin walked to load the bases before Atlanta tied the game on Matt Olson’s fielder’s choice.
Austin Riley then hit a slow roller that left third baseman Alec Bohm without a play, plating another run. Ozzie Albies’ RBI double capped the three-run inning, giving the Braves a 4-2 advantage.
In the fifth, the Phillies recorded two hits — one against Holmes and another against reliever Aaron Bummer — but Bryce Harper grounded out with two runners in scoring position to end the inning.
Tyler Kinley (3-0), Dylan Lee and Robert Suarez bridged the gap to Raisel Iglesias, who allowed a double and a walk in the ninth. Iglesias then recovered to strike out Turner before Acuna tracked down Schwarber’s liner in right field to end the game.
Holmes allowed two runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings, while Painter was charged with three runs and five hits over four-plus frames.
–Field Level Media
#Deadspin #Michael #Harris #delivers #Braves #sweep #series #Phillies
Apr 19, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Atlanta Braves outfielder Michael Harris II (23) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images Michael Harris II collected three hits, including a home run, as the visiting Atlanta Braves secured a three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies with a 4-2 victory on Sunday night.
Grant Holmes worked into the fifth inning and five relievers put up zeroes for Atlanta, which has won nine of its last 11 games. The Braves outscored the Phillies 16-3 in the weekend series.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, has dropped nine of its last 11 games. The Phillies managed only six hits in this one, highlighted by Kyle Schwarber’s two-run homer.
Trea Turner opened the bottom of the first with a single against Holmes. Schwarber followed with a homer to right-center — his seventh of the season — for an early 2-0 lead.
Atlanta squandered a scoring opportunity in the second, but Harris put the visitors on the board in the third with a leadoff homer to right. Right-hander Andrew Painter (1-1) elevated a sweeper and Harris slugged it into the seats for his fourth of the year.
Holmes retired the Philadelphia order with minimal stress in the second, third and fourth innings, setting the stage for the Braves’ offense to take the lead in the fifth.
Harris and Ronald Acuna Jr. opened with singles against Painter, who was then pulled in favor of lefty Tim Mayza. Drake Baldwin walked to load the bases before Atlanta tied the game on Matt Olson’s fielder’s choice.
Austin Riley then hit a slow roller that left third baseman Alec Bohm without a play, plating another run. Ozzie Albies’ RBI double capped the three-run inning, giving the Braves a 4-2 advantage.
In the fifth, the Phillies recorded two hits — one against Holmes and another against reliever Aaron Bummer — but Bryce Harper grounded out with two runners in scoring position to end the inning.
Tyler Kinley (3-0), Dylan Lee and Robert Suarez bridged the gap to Raisel Iglesias, who allowed a double and a walk in the ninth. Iglesias then recovered to strike out Turner before Acuna tracked down Schwarber’s liner in right field to end the game.
Holmes allowed two runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings, while Painter was charged with three runs and five hits over four-plus frames.
–Field Level Media
![IPL 2026: Venkatesh Iyer on limited chances at RCB — Sitting in the wings doesn’t mean I am not part of the plan IPL 2026 has been a double whammy for Venkatesh Iyer. So strong is the Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad that he has featured in just one of six games.And in that match, because of the Impact Player rule, the all-rounder could only showcase one of his two skills.But the 31-year-old, who played leading roles in Kolkata Knight Riders’ title dash in 2024 and the runner-up finish in 2021, remains upbeat.“I am not used to sitting out, but as someone who places the team above everything else, it’s my duty to adhere to the environment,” Venkatesh, who was signed for Rs. 7 crore, told reporters on Wednesday. “RCB is the defending champion. To tinker with a winning combination is not always the smartest move.“Sitting in the wings doesn’t mean that I am not part of the plan. I got one opportunity and I was extremely delighted that I scored (29 n.o., from 15 balls versus Rajasthan Royals). Right now, I am backing the boys 100 per cent to do the job.”Interestingly, from the 2023 season when the Impact Player rule was introduced, Venkatesh has bowled all of six balls in 41 outings.“Impact Player [rule] never stopped a Hardik [Pandya] or a [Andre] Russell or a [Sunil] Narine from bowling four overs,” Venkatesh opined. “It’s not stopping Nitish Reddy either. It actually pushes you to be the best all-rounder version that you can be.“But it does curtail the opportunity for the one- and two-over bowlers. If I am the captain, I need to figure out how to use my five [specialist] bowlers and how to give my sixth [part-time] bowler a go. But here, your sixth bowler is also a specialist bowler. So there is cushion for strategising.”Venkatesh, though, is not giving up on his bowling.“I know that I won’t be bowling four overs [in white-ball cricket]. So I try to identify someone who has played a lot of red-ball cricket.“I had Mitchell Starc [at KKR in 2024]. This year, I have Josh Hazlewood. I make it a point to have conversations because I want to win Madhya Pradesh the Ranji Trophy once again. And I know that I can do it with a ball in hand.”Published on Apr 22, 2026 #IPL #Venkatesh #Iyer #limited #chances #RCB #Sitting #wings #doesnt #part #plan](https://i1.wp.com/ss-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/gxtfyh/article70893892.ece/alternates/LANDSCAPE_1200/_DSC3856.JPG?ssl=1 "IPL 2026: Venkatesh Iyer on limited chances at RCB — Sitting in the wings doesn’t mean I am not part of the plan IPL 2026 has been a double whammy for Venkatesh Iyer. So strong is the Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad that he has featured in just one of six games.And in that match, because of the Impact Player rule, the all-rounder could only showcase one of his two skills.But the 31-year-old, who played leading roles in Kolkata Knight Riders’ title dash in 2024 and the runner-up finish in 2021, remains upbeat.“I am not used to sitting out, but as someone who places the team above everything else, it’s my duty to adhere to the environment,” Venkatesh, who was signed for Rs. 7 crore, told reporters on Wednesday. “RCB is the defending champion. To tinker with a winning combination is not always the smartest move.“Sitting in the wings doesn’t mean that I am not part of the plan. I got one opportunity and I was extremely delighted that I scored (29 n.o., from 15 balls versus Rajasthan Royals). Right now, I am backing the boys 100 per cent to do the job.”Interestingly, from the 2023 season when the Impact Player rule was introduced, Venkatesh has bowled all of six balls in 41 outings.“Impact Player [rule] never stopped a Hardik [Pandya] or a [Andre] Russell or a [Sunil] Narine from bowling four overs,” Venkatesh opined. “It’s not stopping Nitish Reddy either. It actually pushes you to be the best all-rounder version that you can be.“But it does curtail the opportunity for the one- and two-over bowlers. If I am the captain, I need to figure out how to use my five [specialist] bowlers and how to give my sixth [part-time] bowler a go. But here, your sixth bowler is also a specialist bowler. So there is cushion for strategising.”Venkatesh, though, is not giving up on his bowling.“I know that I won’t be bowling four overs [in white-ball cricket]. So I try to identify someone who has played a lot of red-ball cricket.“I had Mitchell Starc [at KKR in 2024]. This year, I have Josh Hazlewood. I make it a point to have conversations because I want to win Madhya Pradesh the Ranji Trophy once again. And I know that I can do it with a ball in hand.”Published on Apr 22, 2026 #IPL #Venkatesh #Iyer #limited #chances #RCB #Sitting #wings #doesnt #part #plan")
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