Vazquez homers twice in win over Phils

PHILADELPHIA — A little lunchtime wisdom served Christian Vazquez well.

Vazquez homered twice, including his first career grand slam, and drove in a careerhigh five runs to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 63 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.

The Red Sox catcher had gone without a homer for 13 straight games and had just one in 25 contests entering Sunday. He was stuck on 19 homers and trying to reach 20 — probably trying too hard. Over lunch on Thursday with manager Alex Cora and former big league slugger Carlos Delgado, Vazquez listened as the two told him not to press.

“Don’t look for No. 20, it’s going to come,” Vazquez said of their advice. “Look for line drives, get a couple hits and get your confidence back. It’s going to come.” 6 3

Vazquez put Boston ahead 51 in the third with his grand slam, a drive just over the wall in left on a 21, 71mph curveball from Jason Vargas (68).

Cesar Hernandez’s RBI single in the fifth pulled Philadelphia within 52, but Vazquez responded in the sixth by taking Mike Morin deep to left. It was Vazquez’s 21st homer and first career multihomer game, becoming the first Red Sox catcher with multiple homers in a contest since Jason Varitek clubbed three on May 20, 2001.

“He’s swinging the bat well,” Cora said.

Andrew Benintendi had a pair of hits for the defending World Series champions, who have won three in a row. Boston began play trailing Tampa Bay by 10 games for the AL’s second wild card.

Rick Porcello (1312) allowed two runs on five hits with six strikeouts and a walk in five innings.

“The breaking ball was good, good conviction behind all his pitches,” Cora said. “He works hard trying to find it. We felt that five innings was good. He did an outstanding job.”

Rhys Hoskins homered for Philadelphia, which started Sunday 31⁄2 games behind the Cubs for the final wild card spot in the NL. The Phillies also trailed the Brewers and Mets, and they’ll now head on the road for an 11game trip.

“Definitely is a tough spot,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. “From here on out, every game is like Game 7 of a playoff series.”

Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless ninth for his 14th save.

The Red Sox loaded the bases with no outs in the first, but Vargas got out of the jam with just one run allowed on J.D. Martinez’s sacrifice fly to right. But Vargas couldn’t escape similar trouble in the third.

Vargas lasted three innings, giving up five runs — four earned — on three hits with six strikeouts and a walk. The 36yearold lefty dropped to 03 with a 5.48 ERA in nine starts since being acquired from the Mets on July 29.

QUICK HOOK?

Kapler and right fielder Bryce Harper were ejected in the fourth inning by plate umpire Gabe Morales for arguing after Harper was called out on strikes for the second time in the game.

Morales rung up Harper on a pitch that looked to be low. Harper watched the video and then told Morales, “It’s not even (bleeping) close.”

Both Harper and Kapler felt Morales should’ve showed some restraint.

“You’ve just got to be better in big games,” Harper said. “He wasn’t going to take it today.”

Kapler charged out to the plate for an animated conversation with Morales, earning the manager his fourth ejection of the season.

“Everybody can look at the pitch and see why Bryce was upset,” Kapler said. “In a game of this magnitude, there could’ve been a longer leash.”