A day after clinching a postseason birth, the Philadelphia Phillies rested most of their starters on Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Bryce Harper was not among the players held out of the lineup, and the Phillies’ first baseman sealed a comeback victory against Pittsburgh.
With the game tied 6-all, Harper hit a solo home run in the seventh inning off of Jose Hernandez, as the Pirates blew a five-run lead and fell 7-6 at Citizens Bank Park despite a big night from Connor Joe.
Recap
The Pirates (74-84) struck for three runs in the first inning against Phillies starter Ranger Suárez. Ke’Bryan Hayes drove in a run with a base hit the other way and Joe brought home a run with a single to left as the very next batter. With runners on the corners, Henry Davis bounced into a double play, allowing Hayes to score.
Though Hayes didn’t get credit for an RBI in the first, he collected a pair in the third on a two-out single to put Pittsburgh ahead 5-0. The knock extended his hitting streak to six games.
The Phillies (89-69) countered with four runs in the fourth inning. Former Pirate Rodolfo Castro bounced out with the bases loaded to plate a run. Garrett Stubbs followed with a three-run shot, his first homer of the season to bring Philadelphia within a run.
Jack Suwinski tripled home Joe in the top of the fifth to get one of the runs back.
The Phillies, however, plated a pair in the bottom of the fifth off of Johan Oviedo to tie the game at 6-all. Edmundo Sosa homered to leadoff the inning and Cristian Pache singled home Bryce Harper, who doubled.
Key Moment
The Pirates had a chance to re-take the lead in the top of the seventh with two on and one out, but failed to get a run home. Harper’s go-ahead homer proved to be the difference.
Star of the Game
Joe finished the game 4 for 5 with two runs and an RBI, giving him his second four-hit game this season. The other came on Apr. 7 against the Chicago White Sox.
Stat to Know
Entering play, Suárez had not allowed a run in 19.1 career runs against the Pirates, a total of five appearances (two starts). The Pirates tagged the left-hander for six runs on nine hits in just 4.2 innings pitched.
Noteworthy
- With his first inning single, Bryan Reynolds extended his on-base streak to 25 consecutive games.
- Jared Triolo was on base four times with a pair of singles and two walks.
- After going 0 for 4 with four strikeouts on Wednesday, Hayes turned in a multi-hit performance in this one, finishing 2 for 5 with an RBI and a pair of runs.
- Oviedo finishes his 2023 season 9-14 with a 4.31 ERA in 32 starts.
Up Next
The Pirates and Phillies will conclude their series on Thursday night in what will be Pittsburgh’s final away game this season. The Bucs have yet to announce a starter. Zack Wheeler (13-6, 3.64 ERA) will start for Philadelphia. First pitch: 6:05 ET.
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