Final: Phillies 7, Pirates 4
With star slugger Bryce Harper returning to the lineup, there was a notable buzz among the 30,000 fans inside Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies capitalized on that excitement and won against their cross-state rival Pittsburgh Pirates.
Harper was cheered by fans anytime they could catch a glimpse of him. It’s been a long two months, but the Phillies made his time away from the club more than bearable by winning 32 of the next 52.
Without Harper, the Phillies still had one of the better lineups in baseball. With him, it could be a nightmare for opposing pitchers and the bottom of the first inning was proof of that.
With Kyle Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins on second and third thanks to an E4 and a double, three-hole hitter Alec Bohm worked an 11 pitch at-bat and recorded an infield single to set up the bases loaded and nobody out for Harper.
Before stepping up to the plate, fans welcomed Harper back with a long standing ovation:
On a 2-2 pitch, Harper lined a changeup to right field for a two-run single. The next batter J.T. Realmuto scored Bohm from home on a forceout and Nick Castellanos added another on an RBI single. Starter Bryse Wilson was pulled after one inning and 43 pitches.
“My father once said a really bright executive knows how to take credit for stuff that falls in his lap,” Thomson joked. “That’s why I put [Harper] in the four hole.”
“I think my teammates set me up really well right there,” Harper said “I was just happy to get back out there and be in front of the fans at the Bank and be a part of my team. Just go out there and have some fun.”
Two more runs came to score in the second against Zach Thompson in the second, but the Pirates longman allowed only two hits from innings three to six to keep his team in it.
To the Pirates credit, they crawled back and made it interesting. Longtime Phillies trade target Bryan Reynolds hit a two-run home run against Bailey Falter. Second baseman Rodolfo Castro also homered the next inning, but Falter did exactly what the Phillies needed him to do. He gave up three earned runs over six innings for his third-straight quality start in the big leagues.
The more concerning development, however, was a third-consecutive bad outing from Connor Brogdon. He faced four batters and recorded only one out while allowing a home run to cut the lead to 6-4. He hovered around 94 mph and threw only five strikes on 15 pitches. It’s rare to see him struggle with command the way he has this week. Brogdon had only walked one batter over his last 22 1/3 innings heading into today. Thomson said after the game that there are no injury concerns with Brogdon.
In relief of Brogdon, José Alvarado induced an inning-ending double play. David Robertson retired the top of the Pirates lineup in the eighth and Brad Hand recorded his fifth save of the season.
Shibe Vintage Sports Notes
- With the victory, the Phillies move to 71-55. It marks the first time since 2011 the team is 16 games over .500.
- Bohm is batting .414 since Aug. 20 and has an eight-game hitting streak.
- Thomson said after the game that the Phillies are keeping Cristopher Sánchez in the bullpen. He won’t be available until Sunday at the earliest after starting Wednesday against the Reds.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Saturday, August 27 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park
- 6:05 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Radio: 1210 WPHT
Aaron Bracy of the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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