Something worth celebrating
Harper nears milestones in hits, HRs as Phils triumph
MIAMI — Bryce Harper closed in on a couple of milestones and helped the Philadelphia Phillies finally make the Miami Marlins look like the last-place team they are.
Harper homered and drove in four runs Sunday to help Philadelphia end a streak of five consecutive losses to Miami with a 13-6 victory. The performance gave Harper 199 career homers and 999 hits, leaving him on the cusp of a souvenir.
“Hopefully I’ll hit a ball into the bullpen in the next couple of days and my guys can grab it,” he said. “I’ve got a long ways to go to where I want to be, but they’re pretty cool milestones.”
Harper hit run-scoring singles in the first and sixth innings and a two-run homer in the eighth, his 15th, which hiked his average to .250.
Jake Arrieta (8-6) allowed four runs in six innings but contributed a tworun single. Jean Segura and Cesar Hernandez each had three of the Phillies’ 17 hits and scored twice, and Brad Miller hit his third homer and singled in a run.
“To salvage a game and not get swept is important for us,” Arrieta said.
After Philadelphia took a 10-1 lead, Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro earned a consolation prize of sorts. Recently sidelined by a concussion, he came away from a sixth-inning collision with a bloody nose, stepped to the plate in the bottom of the inning with a swab in his left nostril and hit a two-run homer.
“I want to stay in the game no matter what,” Alfaro said.
That was it for Marlins’ highlights. They had a chance to sweep Philadelphia for the second weekend in a row
but instead looked like a team with the National League’s worst record — which they are.
Philadelphia broke the game open with seven runs in the sixth, including five against Wei-Yin Chen, who failed to retire a batter and was jeered by the crowd of 11,742. His ERA rose to 8.16.
Trevor Richards (3-9) allowed three runs in five innings.
The Phillies went 11-16 in June to fall behind Atlanta in the NL East.
“You’re going to have your ups and downs during a season,” Harper said. “Hopefully you have more ups than downs.”
Weird but true: The Phillies manufactured an odd run in the third.
With runners at the corners and one out, Harper ran on a 3-2 pitch to Rhys Hoskins, who struck out. When Alfaro threw to second, Harper stopped before reaching the base. That allowed Kingery to score from third without a play before Harper was tagged out for an inning-ending double play.
Philadelphia found another bizarre way to score in the sixth.
Harper singled with the bases loaded, but when Arrieta hesitated before advancing from second, he and Segura found themselves both at third. Arrieta then broke for the plate and was awarded home when he brushed past Alfaro, who was called for obstruction because he didn’t have the ball.
“I saw that he was in the baseline — kind of a little heads-up play there,” Arrieta said.
Said Alfaro: “It was an ugly day for me. I did a couple of things that didn’t help the team at all.”
All-Stars: Each team had one player chosen for the All-Star Game — catcher J.T. Realmuto for the Phillies and righthander Sandy Alcantara for the Marlins.
“With this team, there are multiple guys deserving of making the All-Star team,” Realmuto said. “So to represent this team is special for me.”
In his first season with the Phillies, Harper was left off the All-Star roster for just the second time in his career. He did not make the team in 2014 with Washington after he missed two months with a thumb injury. Trainer’s room: Realmuto tweaked his hamstring and came out of the game in the sixth, but he said the move was precautionary and the injury was “no big deal.”
Marlins: Right-handed pitcher Pablo Lopez (shoulder) will begin a throwing program Monday and is expected to return at some point this season.
Offensive efficiency: Harper said he hopes to reach 200 homers and 1,000 hits with one swing, even though it would mean just one souvenir instead of two.
“I’ll take that one less ball to carry,” he said.
Up next: Phillies Right-handed pitcher Nick Pivetta (4-2, 5.63) is scheduled to start Tuesday when Philadelphia begins a three-game series at the firstplace Braves.
Pivetta has a 7.13 ERA in his past three starts.