Fresh off a series victory over the Chicago White Sox, the Phillies headed to Rogers Centre for a three-game interleague series against the defending American League champion Toronto Blue Jays. Philadelphia entered the series in second place in the National League East behind Atlanta, while Toronto sat third in the American League East, trailing both the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees.
The Phillies opened the series with a 5-2 victory behind another dominant performance from last year’s National League Cy Young Award runner-up, Cristopher Sánchez.
After seeing his streak of 50 2/3 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run come to an end against San Diego last Wednesday, Sánchez showed little sign of slowing down. The left-hander surrendered just two earned runs over seven innings, allowing four hits while walking one and striking out 10 on 107 pitches. It marked the fourth time this season that Sánchez has recorded double-digit strikeouts in a start. Over his last seven outings, he has issued just five walks to the 195 batters he has faced.
Jhoan Durán handled the ninth inning to earn his 16th save in 16 opportunities.
The Phillies’ offense provided Sánchez with all the support he would need, scoring five runs on seven hits over the first three innings. Adolis GarcÃa continued his recent hot streak, giving Philadelphia the lead with a second-inning home run, his seventh of the season and third in his last five games. GarcÃa’s resurgence has provided a welcome boost to the Phillies’ lineup.
The Blue Jays evened the series on Tuesday night, scoring twice in the bottom of the ninth inning to secure a dramatic 3-2 walk-off victory.
Zack Wheeler turned in another strong outing for Philadelphia. The veteran right-hander allowed one run on six hits over six innings, walking none and striking out five. Wheeler threw 96 pitches before departing after the sixth inning. It was the seventh time this season he had allowed two earned runs or fewer in a start.
The Phillies struck first in the opening inning when Brandon Marsh delivered an RBI double to give Philadelphia an early 1-0 lead. The offense added another run in the ninth inning and carried a 2-1 advantage into the bottom half.
Toronto answered in its final at-bat. The Blue Jays scored twice in the ninth inning, capped by rookie Brandon Valenzuela’s game-winning single to complete the comeback.
Durán was charged with the loss and suffered his first blown save of the season. The setback served as a reminder that even one of baseball’s most dominant closers is not immune to an occasional off night.
The Phillies secured both the game and the series on Thursday evening, defeating the Blue Jays 7-4 in the rubber match.
Bryce Harper got Philadelphia on the board early, launching a blast over the wall in left field for a solo home run and a 1-0 lead. The Phillies never trailed after that. Alec Bohm added a three-run homer, while Kyle Schwarber connected for his major league-leading 24th home run of the season. Philadelphia’s offense collected 10 hits overall.
Jesús Luzardo put together a solid outing, allowing just one run over 5 2/3 innings. The left-hander struck out eight and walked four before turning the game over to the bullpen. After suffering his first blown save of the season the night before, Durán bounced back by recording the final three outs to close out the victory.
It was a complete team effort, as Philadelphia received strong contributions from both its offense and pitching staff throughout the afternoon.
The victory improved the Phillies to 28-12 under interim manager Don Mattingly. In the process, Mattingly matched Steve O’Neill’s 1952 club for the best 40-game start by a Phillies manager in franchise history, adding another reason for optimism as the season moves forward.
Philadelphia will next travel to Milwaukee for a three-game series against the Brewers.
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