Hernandez, Buchanan Lead Phillies Past Rays 5-3
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Cesar Hernandez doubled, tripled and drove in two runs, and David Buchanan earned his first win in almost a year, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night.
Maikel Franco had a pair of hits with an RBI and Jeff Francoeur contributed two hits for the Phillies, who have won four straight after setting the franchise record with 62 losses before the All-Star break.
Logan Forsythe doubled and had two RBIs for the Rays, who have lost 10 of their last 12 road games.
Buchanan (1-5) snapped his winless skid at 15 starts by allowing three runs and six hits in 6 1-3 innings. He had four strikeouts and three walks in his second start since coming off the DL with a severely sprained ankle. Entering Monday, he was 0-8 with a 4.63 ERA since his last win on Aug. 6, 2014.
Buchanan was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after the game.
Matt Moore (1-1) gave up four runs on five hits in 4 2-3 innings in his third start since coming back from Tommy John surgery. Moore struck out three and walked three.
Four Phillies relievers combined for 2 2-3 hitless innings, capped by Jonathan Papelbon. The Philadelphia closer earned his 16th save in 16 opportunities with a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out two.
Papelbon — the lone Phillies All-Star — was again booed upon entering following his critical comments of Phillies management made during the break.
Forsythe's two-run double in the second inning staked Tampa Bay to a 2-0 lead.
But the Phillies tagged Moore for three runs in the bottom of the frame.
Francoeur started the scoring with a heads-up baserunning play, racing home from third on a wild pitch that didn't get that far past catcher Curt Casali.
Hernandez drove in the other two runs with a double to left.
Philadelphia tacked on a pair of runs in the fifth on RBI singles by Franco and Darin Ruf, making it 5-2.
The Rays got a run back in the seventh on pinch-hitter Brandon Guyer's RBI single.
James Loney made a pair of errors in the fifth inning, halting the Rays' streak of games without two errors at 35. Tampa Bay last had a multi-error game on June 9.
It was the first regular-season meeting since 2012 between the clubs that played in the 2008 World Series, with Philadelphia winning in five games.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Phillies: Chad Billingsley (flexor tendinitis) was placed on the DL after the game. Billingsley left Saturday's start after five innings. The right-hander, who missed most of the last two seasons after two elbow surgeries, is 2-3 with a 5.84 ERA in seven starts with the Phillies this season.
Rays: LHP Drew Smyly (torn left labrum) will pitch a simulated game on Tuesday in Charlotte. OF Steven Souza Jr. (right finger), who hasn't played since July 5, is eligible to come off the DL on Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Philadelphia RHP Aaron Nola will make his major league debut against Tampa Bay rookie Nathan Karns (4-5, 3.63) in the second of the three-game set on Tuesday night.
Nola, the seventh overall pick of the 2014 draft, was a combined 10-4 with a 2.39 ERA in 18 starts at Double-A and Triple-A this season. Karns has allowed two runs or fewer in 13 starts this season, but is coming off giving up a career-high seven runs in his last start on July 9 at Kansas City.
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