Herrera's Homer Helps Phillies To 8-5 Win Over Tigers [VIDEO]
NOAH TRISTER, AP Baseball Writer
DETROIT (AP) — Odubel Herrera and Peter Bourjos homered off Anibal Sanchez, and the Philadelphia Phillies salvaged the finale of their three-game series with Detroit, beating the Tigers 8-5 on Wednesday.
Detroit had won eight of nine, including the first two games of this set, but Herrera's three-run drive put Philadelphia up 5-1 in the fourth. Aaron Nola (4-3) and the Phillies were able to hold on from there. Jeanmar Gomez pitched the ninth for his major league-leading 17th save in 18 chances.
Sanchez (3-6) allowed three earned runs and eight hits in six-plus innings. The Tigers made two errors in the fourth before Herrera's two-out homer, so three runs were unearned.
Philadelphia's Andres Blanco swiped home in the second as part of a double steal, with Bourjos taking second.
Maikel Franco of the Phillies left in the seventh with a sprained right ankle.
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Nola allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings.
Detroit manager Brad Ausmus missed the game because of the death of his mother. Bench coach Gene Lamont filled in.
The Tigers were without outfielder Justin Upton (right quadriceps tightness) for a third straight game and second baseman Ian Kinsler (flu-like symptoms) for a second.
Sanchez has allowed at least four runs in each of his last five starts, although because of the unearned runs, his ERA actually went down Wednesday from 6.23 to 6.04.
Bourjos had an RBI single in the second, and the double steal made it 2-0, with Blanco coming home when the throw went to second.
Herrera was pulled late in Monday's loss when manager Pete Mackanin felt he didn't run hard enough after hitting a grounder. He was back in the lineup the next day, and his fifth homer of the season gave the Phillies a four-run lead Wednesday.
Cameron Maybin, J.D. Martinez and Victor Martinez hit RBI singles for Detroit in the fifth to make it 5-4.
Bourjos led off the seventh with a homer to chase Sanchez, and it was 7-5 after Miguel Cabrera's RBI single in the bottom of the inning. Philadelphia's Hector Neris relieved David Hernandez, inheriting a first-and-second, one-out situation. Victor Martinez sent a drive down the line in right that looked like it might tie the game, but it went foul, and Neris was able to strike out both him and Nick Castellanos to end the inning.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Phillies: Franco singled in the seventh and later advanced to second on a throwing error by center fielder Cameron Maybin. He was apparently hurt during that sequence, because he came out before the bottom of the inning.
Tigers: Detroit transferred the injury rehab assignment of RHP Shane Greene (right middle finger blister) to Triple-A Toledo. He allowed four hits and struck out seven in 3 1/3 scoreless innings for the Mud Hens on Wednesday.
UP NEXT
Phillies: Philadelphia plays at the Chicago Cubs on Friday, with LHP Adam Morgan (1-2) facing Jon Lester (4-3).
Tigers: RHP Michael Fulmer (3-1) is expected to start Friday night at Oakland against Sean Manaea (1-2).
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