PHILADELPHIA — By the time he stepped to the plate in the seventh inning, Cody Asche had seen enough of Mike Minor to know that the Atlanta Braves left-hander had his best stuff.
That didn’t stop the rookie third baseman from swinging away on the first pitch he saw, belting a two-run homer to lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 2-1 victory Friday night.
The go-ahead blast was all Cliff Lee needed to outduel Minor in a matchup of two of the league’s premier southpaws.
“I definitely thought he didn’t want to fall behind in that situation,” Asche said. “I think on my first at-bats, he threw some good pitches first pitch. So I was looking for a strike, something up on the zone and something I could put some good wood on and drive.”
After surrendering a homer to Andrelton Simmons leading off the third inning, Lee (12-6) didn’t allow a hit through eight innings. He finished with 10 strikeouts without a walk, giving up just two hits.
In his first time facing the Phillies this season, Minor (13-6) allowed four hits and two earned runs in seven innings, striking out nine and walking one.
“It was a pretty darn good pitching matchup,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “Both were throwing strikes with all of their pitches. Lee is one of the top pitchers in the majors. If he’s on, it’s going to be a tough night.”
Asche, who was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on July 31, hit his fourth homer of the season and is 7 for 11 with five RBIs in his last three games. He boosted his average to .287 despite starting out his major league career on a 1-for-17 streak.
Asche made a sharp bare-handed play at third in the ninth to help Jonathan Papelbon record his 25th save of the season.
“I wouldn’t say my nerves have dissipated,” Asche said of his recent hot streak. “I just think you learn to control them.”
Notes
The Braves dipped to 34-35 on the road this season. They are 51-20 at home. Atlanta had won eight of its last 10 and was 29-10 in their last 39 games before Friday’s loss. ... Eight of Simmons’ last nine hits have gone for extra bases. ... Atlanta’s Alex Wood (3-3) opposes Kyle Kendrick (10-12) today.