Phillies escape with win over Orioles
PHILADELPHIA — Edmundo Sosa hit a tiebreaking solo homer to the opposite field with two outs in the seventh inning to help the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 on Wednesday night.
J.T. Realmuto knocked in two runs while Bryce Harper added an insurance run with a seventh-inning RBI single to allow the Phillies (55-47) to win the best of three series against their I-95 neighbors.
Adley Rutschman hit a threerun homer for the Orioles, who maintain a 1 game lead over Tampa Bay in the American League East after finishing 4-3 on their seven-game road trip.
Sosa got the start at shortstop for the Phillies after manager Rob Thomson decided to give Trea Turner a day off.
Turner carried a .225 average in 12 games after the All-Star break and was hitting .245 for the season in the first year of a 10-year, $330 million contract with Philadelphia signed in December.
Thomson indicated that he felt Turner was pressing.
“He’s been doing a bunch of work lately, and maybe that’s a bit too much,” Thomson said.
Sosa caught a Kyle Bradish fastball and hit it into the stands inside the right field foul pole for his career-high seventh homer of the season. Bradish (6-6) allowed five earned runs and seven hits in 6 innings.
After Kyle Schwarber walked and Nick Castellanos was hit by a pitch from Cionel Perez, Harper bounced a grounder up the middle that hopped just past the outstretched arm of Jorge Mateo, allowing Schwarber to score.
Thomson used Craig Kimbrel in the eighth against the heart of the Baltimore lineup, retiring Anthony Santander, Ryan Mountcastle and Jordan Westburg on just 12 pitches. Gregory Soto earned his second save of the year.
Seranthony Dominguez (2-2) got the win for the Phillies, who received a two-hit game from Jake Cave.
Austin Hays had two hits for the Orioles.
Trainer’s room
Orioles: INF Gunner Henderson (back) sat out Thursday night’s season finale after being pulled in the late innings during Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to the Phillies. Henderson could be back in Baltimore’s lineup on Friday night against the Yankees.
Phillies: LHP Jose Alvarado (left elbow inflammation) threw from 120 feet on Thursday for the first time and plans on getting back on the mound this weekend as he tries to return from the injured list for the second time this season. Alvarado- a key 8th inning set-up man in front of closer Craig Kimbrel- was placed on the injured list on July 7.
Up next Orioles:
Return home to Camden Yards to begin a threegame series against the Yankees on Friday night. RHP Grayson Rodriguez (2-2, 6.91) will face off against Yankees RHP Gerrit Cole (9-2, 2.78)
Phillies: Travel to Pittsburgh for a three-game set against the Pirates. Philadelphia will send RHP Zack Wheeler (7-5, 3.88 ERA) to the mound against Pirates RHP Mitch Keller (9-6, 4.01).