The Philadelphia Phillies won two of three against the Atlanta Braves to strengthen their grip on the NL East. After a turbulent few weeks to open the season, Philly has settled into a nice groove. Their division rivals, meanwhile, continue to stall. The Phillies now lead the Mets by 2.0 games and the Braves by 9.5 games.

Backup catcher Rafael Marchán hit a two-run homer, drove in the go-ahead run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the eighth inning and caught two runners stealing, helping the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 5-4 in in a doubleheader opener.

But the 26-year-old starred in the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader, hitting a two-run homer for an early lead along with a walk that led to another run and the go-ahead hit-by-pitch — on top of throwing out two would-be stealers, including Ozzie Albies in the ninth.

The first leg of Thursday’s doubleheader between the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves ended on a questionable call from home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Michael Harris II robbed Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Max Kepler of a three-run home run with an incredible catch.

On Tuesday, Phillies slugger Bryce Harper was hit on his surgically-repaired elbow by a 95 mph pitch thrown by Braves ace Spencer Strider. Thankfully, Harper escaped with just a right elbow contusion and Strider — making just his third start since undergoing Tommy John surgery — appeared to regret the incident following the game.

In the midst of a standout rookie campaign, Atlanta Braves righthander AJ Smith-Shawver is slated to miss the rest of the season after an MRI exam revealed a torn UCL in his pitching elbow, according to the team.