Bryce Harper homers twice, but Philadelphia Phillies fall short against Padres in series finale
Matt Waldron used his knuckleball to strike out six over seven innings and the San Diego Padres avoided a 10th straight road loss with a late rally off Philadelphia's bullpen to beat the NL-best Phillies 5-2 on Wednesday.
A day after the Phillies used four consecutive ninth-inning hits to rally for a 4-3 win, Waldron (5-6) and two relievers helped the Padres snap a five-game skid that started against the Mets. The Padres avoided their first 0-6 trip since 2009 and had lost nine straight overall on the road. They hadn't lost 10 straight away games since 2013.
Bryce Harper homered twice for the Phillies, his 22nd career multi-homer game and second of the season. He has 17 longballs this year.
Robert Suárez worked the ninth for his 18th save.
After another strong start by Ranger Suárez, the bullpen and an error by third baseman Alec Bohm contributed to the game slipping away. Orion Kerkering (2-1) hit a batter and Tyler Wade singled to put two runners on in the seventh. Luis Arráez singled to right for the 2-1 lead. Bohm's one-out fielding error in the eighth helped set up Kyle Higashioka's bases-clearing triple that put the Padres ahead 5-1.
Suárez remained stuck on 10 wins but tossed another gem in what has turned into a career season for the 28-year-old lefty. He struck out four and gave up six hits in six innings, allowing his only run on Jackson Merrill' homer in the second. Suárez started 9-1 but has picked up no-decisions in three of his last four starts.
He lowered his ERA from 1.77 to 1.75, behind only Atlanta's Reynaldo López. Suárez made a start with his wife and two young children in the stands for the first time in his career. His wife was able to obtain a visa and travel from Venezuela.
Harper knocked a slider from Waldron over the left-center fence in the third for first homer since the June 8 shot he hit in London, which he celebrated with a soccer-style knee slide. He went deep again in the eighth.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Phillies SS Trea Turner got the day off after playing two straight games following his 38-game absence with a strained left hamstring. With the Phillies off Thursday, manager Rob Thomson wanted to give Turner consecutive days of rest and then "we'll go."
"We'll see how long we can go with him," Thomson said.
UP NEXT
The Padres send RHP Adam Mazur (4-3, 3.86 ERA) to the mound Thursday when they return home for the start of a four-game series against Milwaukee. The Brewers had not named a starter.
The Phillies send RHP Taijuan Walker (3-2, 5.33 ERA) to the mound for the start of a three-game series Friday against Arizona. The Diamondbacks had not named a starter. The Phillies will celebrate the career of 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels ahead of the game. Hamels will officially retire as a Phillie.
