ATLANTA -- If not for the searing temperatures at Turner Field, getaway day wouldn't have seemed quite so urgent for the Phillies.

A series sweep of the rival Braves can have that sort of effect.

The Phillies scored three times in the ninth inning to break open what had been a close game, as they beat the Braves, 6-3, on Sunday afternoon to complete the three-game sweep.

"They've been real tough to beat at home, and all three of the games were real close," manager Charlie Manuel said. "We scored runs late in all three of the games, and I'd say we kind of outplayed them at the back end of all three games and that led to victories."

The Phillies have now won 15 of their last 19 games, including seven of eight this month.

June is the beginning of "hitting season," Manuel said. If that's the case, his big first baseman, Ryan Howard, is entering his favorite time of the year.

Howard went 3-for-5 with four RBIs on Sunday, but the most important of his three doubles was the one off the bottom of the left-field wall that scored two in the ninth and gave the Phillies a 6-3 lead.

"I'm just trying to put good days together," said Howard.

It's been a frustrating start to the season for Howard, whose average dipped to a season-low .163 on May 7. In 30 games since, he is batting .270 with nine homers and 33 RBIs.

"I don't look at his average," Manuel said. "I put him fourth every day, don't I? I know he's going to hit, I know he's going to help us, and he has helped us."

Despite the unsightly average, Howard's 49 RBIs are sixth most in the Majors. Second baseman Chase Utley, who bats ahead of Howard, has 56.

"We're bound to score runs with the guys behind us," said Shane Victorino, who went 3-for-5 with three runs.

The Phillies' late-inning dramatics were just the latest installment of what they have done this entire series against the reeling Braves.

After taking advantage of an unusual gaffe by Kelly Johnson in the ninth inning on Friday, the Phillies scored twice in the 10th to win the series opener. They then scored four runs over the last two innings to pull away on Saturday.

And on Sunday, with the game tied, 3-3, heading into the ninth, the Phillies' bats got going -- again.

Pinch-hitter Eric Bruntlett singled off reliever Blaine Boyer to begin the inning, and, after a well-executed hit-and-run by Jimmy Rollins, Victorino singled to center field to score the go-ahead run. Howard's two-run double put the game out of reach.

"We have an even better offensive team in the late innings, for whatever reason," said pitcher Adam Eaton, who got a no-decision after pitching six innings and allowing three runs.

The reason, Manuel suggests, is because there is a sense of urgency when the game is tight. And when the Phillies' lineup is able to score late, the bullpen has not blown the lead. Brad Lidge pitched a scoreless ninth on Sunday to record his 17th save in as many chances.

"I think that's when the best of us comes out," Manuel said of his team's late-game surges. "I think that's when we have to do it, and it's not like we don't try to do it early, but we've got enough talent that if you catch the right part of our lineup, we could put a hurting on you late."

The Braves were the most recent team to take the punches. They played Sunday's game without the services of third baseman Chipper Jones, who was held out because of a partial tear of his right quadriceps muscle. Without him in the lineup, they were rendered virtually punchless.

Eaton's only real mistake of the afternoon was a high fastball that Mark Teixeira drilled for a two-run homer in the first inning. But other than that, hits of any consequence were tough to come by on Sunday.

Eaton scattered eight hits over his six innings and stranded seven baserunners. Phillies pitchers stranded 10 Braves in total.

"I threw some bad pitches, but threw some good ones at the same time," said Eaton, who was lifted after throwing his 99th pitch of the afternoon. "Overall, I made some pitches when I needed to."

Said Manuel: "He pitched out of jams and stayed away from the big inning. It was a real hot day, and it can definitely test your durability and conditioning."

Indeed, it was a hot and steamy afternoon in Atlanta, but not unlike what Howard was used to growing up in St. Louis. He said he prefers playing in the warmer weather -- as many players do -- because it loosens up his body and allows him to swing more freely.

The 260-pounder's three doubles on Sunday were a product of what he called good placement.

Howard's RBI double in the first inning was roped into right field. His second came in the third, when he beat the shift and hit a bloop down the left-field line that outfielder Josh Anderson had to chase into the corner as another run scored.

"I'll take those all day, don't get me wrong," Howard said.

So will the Phillies, who head further south to take on the Marlins in a three-game set that starts on Tuesday. Philadelphia will begin the series 3 1/2 games up on Florida, and 6 1/2 ahead of Atlanta.

"They've got guys who go up there with a game plan," Jones said of the division-leading Phils. "They've got guys who work at being a tough out. Over the course of nine innings, they wear you out. That's what division champions do."