Bryce Harper capped a dramatic rally by doubling home two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning off Kenley Jansen to lift the host Philadelphia Phillies past the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-8 on Tuesday.
Harper also hit a three-run home run and finished with five RBIs, his season high in his first campaign with the Phillies. Scott Kingery and Brad Miller also homered for the Phillies, who barely avoided losing to the Dodgers for the fifth straight time this season. Phillies starter Vince Velasquez lasted only 4 2/3 innings and gave up five hits and five runs (four earned), although he struck out seven and walked only one. Four of the hits he allowed were home runs. Ranger Suarez (1-0) earned the win in relief.
Following a 22-minute rain delay before the start of the ninth inning, Phillies closer Hector Neris was unable to secure his 18th save. With one out, pinch hitter Matt Beaty delivered a go-ahead, three-run home run for an 8-6 lead. Neris was then ejected after hitting the next batter, David Freese, with Phillies manager Gabe Kapler also getting tossed.
Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger, A.J. Pollock and Joc Pederson also went deep for the Dodgers, who had their three-game winning streak snapped. Dodgers starter Walker Buehler allowed four hits and six runs in six innings, though only two of the runs were earned. Buehler, who struck out seven and walked three, hadn’t started since July 3, but he did pitch one inning in the All-Star Game.
Jansen (3-3) took the loss after allowing four straight hits following the first out. He got an assist on a leadoff groundout by Phillies rookie Adam Haseley that initially struck Jansen hard near his foot. Kingery hit a solo homer in the first inning, his second long ball in two nights, and the Phillies took a quick 1-0 lead.
Muncy tied the game at 1 in the second with a towering 440-foot homer to right. It was his 25th home run of the season.
The Phillies went back ahead 3-1 when Miller hit a two-run homer to right in the second. Harper extended the advantage to 6-1 with a three-run blast to center in the same inning.
In the third, Jay Bruce left the game with what was announced in the press box as an oblique injury. After the count went to 0-2, Bruce was pulled and replaced by Roman Quinn, who struck out on the next pitch – though the official strikeout was charged to Bruce.
The Dodgers got within 6-3 when Bellinger hit his Major League-leading 34th homer, a two-run shot to right in the fourth. Two batters later, Pollock smacked a solo homer to cut the gap to 6-4. Los Angeles’ home run barrage continued as Pederson hit a solo homer in the fifth to close the visitors within 6-5.
Giants blow lead in 9th, top Rockies in 10th
Alex Dickerson and Brandon Crawford stroked RBI singles off Colorado Rockies closer Wade Davis to ignite a four-run 10th inning Tuesday night as the San Francisco Giants rebounded from Will Smith’s blown save in the ninth for an 8-4 victory in Denver. Davis (1-4) walked Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval with one out in the 10th. Dickerson then smacked his go-ahead liner to right field, capping a night on which he had three singles and a double, scored twice and drove in two runs.
Crawford followed with a hit that plated Sandoval, giving the shortstop 10 RBIs in the first three games of the series.
Mike Yastrzemski, who earlier had driven in a run apiece with a double and his seventh home run of the season, added an RBI single off Bryan Shaw to make it 7-4. An error by third baseman Nolan Arenado allowed the inning’s fourth run to score. Trailing by three runs and down to their final three outs, the Rockies erupted against Smith (3-0) in the bottom of the ninth.
Trevor Story led off with his 21st home run of the season. The All-Star closer got Arenado to fly out, but Daniel Murphy followed with a single and Ian Desmond tied the game at 4-4 with a two-run homer, his 12th of the season.
Smith, who completed the inning but was docked with his second blown save of the year, was credited with the win. Mark Melancon pitched a scoreless bottom of the 10th in a non-save situation. Neither starting pitcher got a decision despite an outstanding outing.
Giants left-hander Drew Pomeranz took a two-hit shutout and 2-0 lead into the sixth inning. He was pulled two batters later, eventually charged with one run on three hits in five-plus innings. He walked one and struck out four.
Meanwhile, Rockies rookie Peter Lambert went six innings, allowing two runs and six hits. The right-hander struck out three and did not walk a batter.
Dickerson totalled four hits and Yastrzemski three, while Posey, Kevin Pillar and Joe Panik collected two apiece for the Giants, who swept a series-opening double-header on Monday.
The loss was the Rockies’ 10th in their last 12 games.
Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper celebrates his walk-off RBI double during the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park. PICTURE: USA TODAY Sports
