Harper, Hoskins power Phillies to series win over Padres

Final Score: Phillies 4, Padres 2

What was supposed to be an afternoon game turned into an evening contest between the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres.

But despite a two hour and one minute rain delay to begin the game and another 45-minute delay in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Phillies were able to secure a series victory against one of the National League’s best teams.

Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins both homered Saturday, with each adding an additional RBI later in the game on top of their respective solo home runs. That proved to be all the Phillies needed, as Zach Eflin, Bailey Falter, Archie Bradley and Ranger Suárez held the Padres scoreless after the first inning.

The Phillies will send Vince Velasquez to the mound Sunday, as they look to sweep the Padres. Former American League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell – who has struggled in his first season in San Diego – will toe the rubber for the Padres.

Top Plays

• Sandwiched in between Zach Eflin retiring Tommy Pham and Jake Cronenworth in the top of the first inning, Fernando Tatís Jr. reached first on a sharp grounder that ate Didi Gregorius up at shortstop. It’s tough to say if Gregorius would have been able to throw out Tatís, but it’s certainly a ball he should have at least fielded cleanly.
• Two batters later, Manny Machado hit a 409-foot home run over the center field wall, giving the Padres a 2-0 lead. The ball would have left just one stadium in baseball – Citizens Bank Park:

This ball left the yard in a hurry.

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— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) July 3, 2021

• Bryce Harper led off the top of the second inning by hitting a towering home run off of Yu Darvish. It was his 14th home run of the season, all of which have been solo shots:

?I am Mr. Solo Dolo?

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— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) July 3, 2021

• Two batters later, Rhys Hoskins hit his team-leading 18th home run to tie the game, also of the solo variety:

GET OFF ME BALL!

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— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) July 3, 2021

• J.T. Realmuto broke out of a cold spell by tripling to right field in the bottom of the sixth inning, before being plated on a sacrifice fly by Harper.
• Later in the home half of the sixth, Andrew McCutchen singled and stole second base. McCutchen was brought home on a double into the left field corner by Hoskins.
• The Phillies nearly added another run in the seventh inning, when Jean Segura doubled into the corner. However, after Alec Bohm was called safe on the field, it was overturned on a Padres challenge once it was determined that Bohm didn’t touch home plate before being tug out.
• Gregorius made an excellent defensive play in support of Archie Bradley in the top of the eighth:

That's SIR to you.

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— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) July 4, 2021

• Bailey Falter, Bradley and Ranger Suárez combined for three scoreless innings in relief of Eflin to finish off the game. Suárez set the Padres down in order in the ninth to earn his first career save.

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance

• Yu Darvish, by his standards, wasn’t great Saturday. The four-time All-Star kept the Padres in the game, but was hit hard by both Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins. Darvish allowed six hits and four runs in six innings.
• Zach Eflin gave up two runs in the first inning, but was pretty effective after that, despite having his outing interrupted for nearly an hour by a rain delay. The 27-year-old did walk two batters, but he limited one of the sport’s best lineups to three hits and two runs in six innings.

Ticket IQ Next Game

• Sunday, July 4 vs. San Diego Padres at Citizens Bank Park
• 1:05 p.m. ET
• TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia, TBS
• Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

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