Odubel Herrera, Nick Pivetta pace Philadelphia Phillies to sweep of Atlanta Braves

PHILADELPHIA -- With their useful veterans moved at the trade deadline, the youth movement is here for the rest of the Philadelphia Phillies' 2017 season.

And so far, they're holding their own.

Odubel Herrera homered and drove in three runs to back a strong outing by starter Nick Pivetta as Philadelphia completed a four-game sweep of division rival Atlanta Braves with a 7-6 win at Citizens Bank Park on Monday afternoon.

It's the fifth straight win for the Phillies (39-64), who are 10-6 since the All-Star break and now no longer possess the worst record in the majors (San Francisco Giants, 40-66). They had won each of the previous two in walk-off fashion.

This one didn't come down to the final batter, but there was still plenty of drama.

Pivetta (4-6) held Atlanta to one run on three hits in six innings, throwing 66 of his 95 pitches for strikes. In doing so, he went at least six innings while allowing one run or less for just the third time in his rookie campaign, departing with his team holding a 6-1 lead.

"Having a nice day like this today just builds on it, I know I can be here, I can do this," Pivetta said. "There's a lot of stuff that's going to go into the season, it's going to be an up-and-down season, just being more consistent and staying positive and going about it."

Pivetta's bullpen nearly gave it away.

The Braves (48-56) plated three runs in the seventh and one in the eighth, then had the bases loaded with two outs later that inning. But Phillies reliever Luis Garcia got Braves shortstop Johan Camargo to strike out on a full count, preserving the two-run lead.

Hector Neris, pitching for the third day in a row, didn't make the ninth inning much easier, plunking one batter and walking another to put men on first and second with one out. Nick Markakis' two-out RBI single to right made it a one-run game before Neris got Kurt Suzuki to fly out to left for his 10th save.

"A tough stand here, obviously," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "We came back and had a chance."

That chance wasn't enough to spoil the mood in the Phillies' clubhouse afterward.

"Our young pitchers have been pitching well and the bats came alive, so it's been a great homestand," manager Pete Mackanin said. "It's nice to win."

Atlanta starter Mark Foltynewicz (9-6) lasted just four innings, giving up seven hits and five runs. He took the loss for the first time since June 18, when he put up the exact same line against San Francisco.

"He had a tough time locating," Snitker said. "You'll run into games like that. He's been great for us."

The Phillies broke the game open with a four-run third inning, which began with a Cesar Hernandez triple. After Freddy Galvis flew out and Aaron Altherr was hit by a pitch, Tommy Joseph singled to right to bring in Hernandez.

Then Herrera caught a Foltynewicz slider over the inner half of the plate and pulled it down the right-field line for his 11th home run of the season.

Herrera finished the game 1-for-4 with the home run, closing out an impressive July that saw him hit .360 (31-of-86) with six home runs and 13 RBIs, raising his average from .250 to .278 in the process.

"Herrera had a real big homestand," Mackanin said, "and that three-run bomb he hit was fun to watch."

Joseph went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, singling in Hernandez again in the fourth inning to extend the lead to 5-0. Third baseman Maikel Franco added a solo home run in the seventh inning, his 16th of the year.

Suzuki hit a two-run homer and Freddie Freeman added a solo blast for Atlanta.

The four-game sweep was the first for the Phillies since 2014, and their first at Citizens Bank Park since 2011. It's the first time they've done so at home against the Braves since 1949, when the franchise still played in Boston.

"Four-game sweep, right before we go on a nice long flight, puts everybody in a good mood," Joseph said. "It says a lot about this team, a lot of people contributed to these four wins. ... It was fun to be a part of."

NOTES: Both teams will travel to Los Angeles to start three-game series on Tuesday night. Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (8-6, 3.17 ERA) will face Angels RHP Ricky Nolasco (4-12, 5.07 ERA). The Braves have yet to announce a starter for Tuesday's game against the Dodgers, who will start RHP Kenta Maeda (9-4, 4.09 ERA). ...The Phillies will play 15 of their next 18 games on the road, traveling over 10,000 miles by air between Aug. 1 and Aug. 20. ...The Phillies improved to 20-21 in day games, Atlanta dropped to 14-20.