Alfaro’s 3 RBIs carry first-place Phils past Orioles
BALTIMORE » Making the most of a one-day stopover in Baltimore, the Philadelphia Phillies won a game scheduled two months earlier and regained sole possession of first place in the NL East.
Jorge Alfaro homered and drove in three runs, Nick Pivetta took a three-hitter into the seventh inning and Philadelphia squeezed past the Orioles 5-4 Thursday night.
The game was the makeup of a May 15 rainout. Coming from New York before heading to Miami, the Phillies got 12 hits off Kevin Gausman (4-7) while building a 5-0 lead against the team with the worst record in the majors.
“There were some tired guys out there, but they grinded it out,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “When you’re tired, it’s very difficult to bring your A game. I’m really proud of our men today.”
Alfaro, the No. 9 hitter, singled and scored in the third inning, hit a two-run double in the fourth and led off the fifth with his sixth home run.
Homers by Trey Mancini and Jace Peterson brought the Orioles within a run, but the Phillies held on to move a half-game ahead of idle Atlanta.
The day after that May 15 rainout, Pivetta allowed two hits and struck out 11 over seven innings in a 4-1 win at Baltimore.
This time, the 6-foot-5 righty had a no-hitter through four innings and finished with seven strikeouts. Pivetta (6-7) gave up three runs and five hits before being pulled with two outs in the seventh.
He got the win, so that made it worth missing a day in the Florida sun.
“It was tough,” Pivetta said. “We were supposed to have an off day in Miami today. The guys got in late last night, so it was big for them to come here and win a baseball game.”
Seranthony Rodriguez worked the ninth for his ninth save.
Gausman yielded a single to Cesar Hernandez to open the game, and the hits kept on coming for the Phillies. Gausman allowed a career-high 12 hits over five-plus innings, but manager Buck Showalter insisted the right-hander’s performance was better than the numbers indicated.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that many poorly hit balls fall for hits,” Showalter said. “I’ve got no fault with the way Kevin pitched tonight. He deserved a lot better fate.”
The loss dropped the Orioles a whopping 42 games under .500 (2668), but Showalter appreciated the comeback.
“The baseball gods, so to speak, were not being kind to Kevin and the team,” the manager said. “Our guys said the heck with it and battled back and got within a run.”
Baltimore used some slick fielding to avoid falling behind in the second inning. After Scott Kingery hit a twoout double, third baseman Tim Beckham dived over the foul line to snare a grounder by Aaron Altherr, scrambled to his feet and threw out the runner.
ONE-GAME SERIES
The Phillies arrived in Baltimore around 3 a.m. after losing to the Mets on Wednesday night. Then, it was on to Miami. “It’s part of being in the major leagues,” Kapler said. “Who can manage those challenging road trips best.”
Baltimore, on the other hand, merely added a game to a homestand that started Monday and ends Sunday.