Altherr, Phillies show power surge in 10-3 win over Braves

Aaron Altherr glanced to left field as he left the batter's box on Friday night, marveling at his towering blast in the fifth inning of a 10-3 win over Atlanta.

It was hard not to stare. And it's hard not marvel at Altherr's season.

The homer soared as high as 133 feet and traveled 412 feet before crashing into the second deck at Citizens Bank Park. Altherr's leadoff blast set off a rally as the Phillies raced to a seven-run inning. Cameron Rupp followed with a homer and Tommy Joseph added a three-run blast later in the inning.

It is hard to believe that Altherr began the season as the team's fourth outfielder. The Phillies signed Michael Saunders a month before spring training amid concerns that maybe Altherr's surgically repaired left wrist was not fully healed. He quickly forced his way into the starting lineup and has been the team's best hitter ever since. Altherr seems to have already claimed a starting role on the 2018 Phillies.

Altherr homered again in the eighth and added a sweet diving catch in the ninth. He's their best hitter and perhaps their best defender.

Altherr batted seventh on Friday for the first time this season as manager Pete Mackanin said he based his decision on Altherr's struggles last year against Atlanta righthander Julio Teheran. Mackanin said Altherr was a different hitter and maybe those numbers were meaningless. They proved out to carry little weight. Teheran's outing spiraled after yielding that homer.

The Phillies have scored five or more runs in 10 of their 13 games since the all-star break. The final nine weeks of the Phillies season will be a lot more enjoyable if they find a way to maintain this offensive production. The Phillies scored the second least runs in the National League before the all-star break, but have scored the seventh most since the break. The offense was stagnant for three months before finally coming alive.

Freddy Galvis scored twice on throwing errors. He stole third in the first inning and eased home when catcher Kurt Suzuki throw wide of third base. He then hit an RBI triple in the fifth and scored when Atlanta second baseman Brandon Phillips' throw skipped in front of the third baseman.

Altherr's homer in the eighth failed to match the theatrics of his earlier blast. It simply raced out to right field before landing in the first row. But there was still something to marvel at. And that was another great night from Altherr, the player that seemed to be overlooked before emerging as the team's best hitter.