Phillies give up 4 runs in ninth in loss to Braves

Jeanmar Gomez handed the ball to Pete Mackanin on Friday night and shuffled into the Phillies dugout. An 8-4 loss to Atlanta at Citizens Bank Park was all but finished as Gomez imploded in the ninth inning. He allowed four runs and did not retire any of the four batters he faced, prompting the Phillies manager to head to the mound.

The Phillies did not score after the second inning and their ninth-inning meltdown appeared to be inevitable. It was almost expected that the Phillies bullpen - which is as thin as a unit can be - would eventually yield a run. Freddie Freeman tagged Gomez for an RBI double and Matt Kemp followed with a run-scoring single.

It was the first time since 2008 that a Phillies reliever allowed four runs and four hits without recording an out. Gomez has an 11.57 ERA over the his last eight appearances as his magic seems to be running out.

"I feel really good," Gomez said. "The last two months, I've felt really good. My workouts have been good. My velocity is the same and my pitches are moving."

Gomez has been reliable this season, but the final month may present a chance for the Phillies to test some of their other relievers in the ninth inning as they begin to target their closer for 2017. Gomez has saved 34 games this season, but he is not the long-term answer. The righthander relies too much on contact, which thwarted him Friday.

It would be interesting to see how Hector Neris or Edubray Ramos - two righthanders who can attack batters - would handle the pressure of the ninth inning.

The Phillies offense, which stumbled through August, could not have had a better start to September. Ryan Howard drove in a run with a first-inning single. A.J. Ellis hit a three-run homer in the second for his first home run since coming to the Phillies last week in the trade that sent Carlos Ruiz to the Dodgers.

And then it stalled. Just one batter reached scoring position until the eighth inning, when Maikel Franco and Ryan Howard started with singles before the rally fizzled. They went down without much of a threat in the ninth.

"We thought we had something going, but we're just not bunching hits. They got five consecutive hits in that ninth inning. That's what we need to do," Mackanin said. "We need to get our guys in track. We've got a month left to get something going. We just have to improve."

Jeremy Hellickson cruised through the first four innings before being tagged for four runs in the fifth. Matt Kemp tied the game with a three-run homer to center field. Hellickson lasted one more inning, allowing four runs on five hits in six innings. He struck out six and walked one.

It was the righthander's first time since mid-June that he had allowed four or more runs in consecutive starts. Mackanin said Hellickson was allowed to have one bad start after he was rocked last week in New York. Friday was not a bad start, but a bad inning that marred an otherwise solid night.

"The guys give me a four-run lead, that has to stand," Hellickson said. "For me to make that mistake in that situation definitely overshadows the rest of the game, it doesn't really matter what I did in the other 17 outs. Guys give me a 4-0 lead, we have to win that game."

David Hernandez logged a scoreless seventh and Michael Mariot followed with a scoreless eighth. Ellis kept Mariot afloat when he threw out Nick Markakis at second base for the inning's second out. Mariot then flirted with trouble by walking the next two batters. Pitching coach Bob McClure visited the mound and Mariot buckled down.

Pinch-hitter A.J. Pierzynski hit a sharp line drive to right field and the crowd held its breath until the ball landed in Aaron Altherr's glove. Mariot smacked his glove and walked off the mound. The game remained tied, but everything was about to fall apart.

mbreen@phillynews.com

@matt_breen www.philly.com/philliesblog