Categories: 2024 Postgame Recaps

Harper homers twice, but Phillies can’t sweep Padres

Ranger Suarez threw six strong innings on Wednesday, despite the Phillies’ loss. (Grace Del Pizzo/Phillies Nation)

Final score: Padres 5, Phillies 2

Two homers from Bryce Harper and six strong innings from Ranger Suárez would normally spell good things for the Phillies, but a couple tough breaks and defensive miscues prevented them from sweeping the Padres at Citizens Bank Park.

Those two homers were all the scoring the Phillies mustered on Wednesday afternoon, and once Suárez departed, San Diego got to the Phillies’ bullpen — enough, at least, to force some misplays from Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh that proved consequential.

The Phillies will have a day off — their first since the travel day back from London — before a three-game set against the Diamondbacks. They lead the NL East by seven games.

Highlights

Brandon Marsh got the game off to a good start with this snag on the first pitch.

Jackson Merrill gave the Padres an early lead with a solo homer in the second.
Suárez worked around a one-out double in the third, partially because of an automatic strike one to Jurickson Profar in an inning-ending strikeout. Profar wasn’t pleased, nor was manager Mike Shildt, because Suárez wasn’t quite set by the time Profar regardless had to be. It was, technically, the right call.
Bryce Harper hit his first homer since London in the third, a flashback (but not really) to a previous homer against the Padres at CBP.

Orion Kerkering had a shaky seventh. He hit Merrill with a pitch, then later allowed consecutive two-out singles for a 2-1 Padres lead.
The game was really lost the next inning, though. With two on and one out against Seranthony Domínguez, Bohm misplayed a grounder (the runner seemed to get in his way), and a bases-clearing triple by Kyle Higashioka (again on a misplay, this one by Marsh) put the Phillies in a four-run hole.