Bryce Harper, Brad Miller and Jean Segura all homered Saturday, helping the Philadelphia Phillies to defeat the Colorado Rockies, despite an excellent showing from two-time All-Star shortstop Trevor Story.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Phillies got on the board in about the least conventional way possible.
After J.T. Realmuto struck out with the bases loaded, Didi Gregorius worked a walk. While that may not be what you dream about in your backyard as a kid, it felt downright textbook compared to what would happen later in the inning.
Following a pop out from Ronald Torreyes, Odúbel Herrera came to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded. Naturally, the 29-year-old laid down a perfect bunt, and with Ryan McMahon not exactly doing his best Nolan Arenado impression, two runs scored and Herrera reached second base:
Jean Segura followed up a three-run bottom of the fourth inning by having himself quite a fifth inning.
After a brutal ricochet ate Gregorius up and allowed Raimel Tapia to reach first base to begin the top half of the frame, Dom Núñez scorched a ball that Segura caught and fired to second to complete a double play:
In the home half of the fifth, Segura hit a solo home run that travelled 425 feet and extended the Phillies lead to 4-0:
Trevor Story continued what has been a torrid season against the Phillies in the top of the sixth, hitting a 441-foot solo home run, one of the longest hit at Citizens Bank Park this season:
José Alvarado came on with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh, working in relief of Zack Wheeler. Alvarado was able to induce an inning-ending groundout off the bat of Phillie-killer Charlie Blackmon, preserving a 4-1 lead.
In the home half of the seventh, the Phillies added two insurance runs in the form of solo home runs.
Brad Miller, a night after taking his bat to part of the Phillies dugout, led off the bottom of the seventh by hitting a towering pinch-hit home run off of Colorado reliever Tyler Kinley:
Two batters later, Bryce Harper belted his 31st home run of the season, giving the Phillies the 6-1 score they’d go on to win by and eliciting “MVP!” chants at Citizens Bank Park:
With the home run, Harper is slashing .307/.420/.606 with 31 home runs and 72 RBIs. He leads National League position players with. a 5.6 fWAR. He leads all of baseball with a 1.026 OPS. Certainly, he’s in the NL MVP race.
The win helps the Phillies — who entered the day 4 1/2 games back in the National League East and 3 1/2 back of the senior circuit’s second Wild Card spot — to stay in the pennant race. At 72-70, they’re now within 10 victories of their first winning season since 2011. Aaron Nola will get the ball Sunday, as the Phillies attempt to split their four-game series with the Rockies.
Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance
- Kyle Freeland — selected in the 35th round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Phillies out of high school — walked four, gave up five hits and allowed four runs in six innings Saturday.
- Zack Wheeler left after 6 2/3 innings in his 29th start of the season, tying his career high of innings pitched in a season at 195 1/3. The 31-year-old allowed four hits and one run, while striking out eight batters. Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes may have clinched the National League Cy Young Award with his performance Saturday night, but Wheeler now sits at a 2.86 ERA, 2.66 FIP and 6.5 fWAR as one of the better seasons in Phillies history winds down.
Phillies Nugget Of The Game
Trevor Story — set to become a free agent this winter — has now homered four times and driven in eight runs in 23 at-bats against the Phillies this season. He also robbed Jean Segura of a hit in the bottom of the first inning with what may be the best defensive play of the season:
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Sunday, Sept. 12 vs. Rockies at Citizens Bank Park
- 1:05 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Radio: 1210 WPHT
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