Harper leaves game late; sweep chance missed
PHILADELPHIA—TeoscarHernandez hit a two-run homer and Taijuan Walker tossed six sharp innings to help the Toronto Blue Jays snap a six-game losingstreakwitha6-3winoverthePhiladelphia Phillies on Sunday.
Phillies slugger Bryce Harper exited with lower-back stiffness after he struck out with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. Harper took a slow walk in the dugout toward the clubhouse and signaled to manager Joe Girardi that he was done for the day.
Harper has 11 homers and 28 RBIs for the Phillies, who are trying to hang on over the final week and secure their first playoff berth since 2011.
The Blue Jays (27-26) held onto the eighthandfinalplayoffspotintheAmericanLeague.TheyreturnhometoSahlen
Field in Buffalo, New York, for the final seven games to try to earn a trip to the postseason.
The Phillies hit the road for the final sevengamesandplayedaboutaspoorlyas their sports complex neighbor, the Philadelphia Eagles, as they failed to sweep the Blue Jays. On a sports day in Philly that normally would have been hopping withtailgates,thicktrafficand—giventhe results—acacophonyofboos,thePhillies limpedoutoftowninfrontofafewthousandcardboardcutoutsandthePhanatic standing atop the dugout and shaking his hands at Blue Jays pitchers in a furry, failed attempt at a curse.
Walker (4-3) allowed four hits and struck out eight on a chilly, breezy day at theballpark.Walker,acquiredlastmonth from Seattle to help Toronto’s playoff push, allowed only Didi Gregorius’ RBI
double off the right-field scoreboard in the second.
Trailing 6-1 in the seventh, the Phillies loaded the bases with no outs with Harper up against righty Thomas Hatch. Harperstruck out swinging. Alex Bohm’s grounder up the middle was thrown away by second base man Joe Panik, making it a 6-3 game.
Toronto’s bullpen handled it the rest of the way. Anthony Bass earned his sixth save.
Adonis Medina (0-1) allowed two runs in four innings in his big-league debut for the Phil lies. Heath Hem bree gave up Jonathan Davis’ two-run double in the sixth and Hernandez’s two-run shot in the seventh for a 6-1 lead.
Roster move
The Phillies optioned OF Mickey Moniak, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2016 amateur draft, to Lehigh Valley to make roomfor Medina.
Home cooking
The Phillies finished 19-13 at home.
Postseason pool
The Phillies included 21 pitchers, four catchers, eight infielders and seven outfielders on their post season pool roster.
Trainer’s room
Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (hip) returns Monday. He missed 10 games with the injury. Phil Gosselin took over for Harper in right field.
Up next
Toronto: Heads home to Buffalo for a four-game series with the Yankees. Neither team announced a starter for Monday’s opener.
Phillies: Play the final seven games of the season on the road. Send RHP Zack Wheeler (4-0,2.62 ERA) to the mound for the start of a four-game series at Washington against RHP Anibal Sanchez (2-5, 7.38).