Story by
Trea Turner doubles down with second HR vs. Blue Jays
- Story by
- Trea Turner doubles down with second HR vs. Blue Jays
The post Trea Turner doubles down with second HR vs. Blue Jays appeared first on ClutchPoints .
Trea Turner brought the thunder in Toronto on Tuesday night, blasting two home runs and powering the Philadelphia Phillies to a much-needed 8-3 win over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre . The win snapped a four-game skid for the Phillies and featured a statement return from Bryce Harper , who also went deep in his first game back from injury.
Turner set the tone early, launching a two-run homer in the top of the first inning after Bryson Stott opened the game with a walk. Just one pitch later, Harper joined the party with a 394-foot blast to right-center — his ninth homer of the season and first since being sidelined with a bruised right elbow. It was the third time this year the Phillies have hit back-to-back home runs.
Advertisement
"We wanted to make a statement early," Turner said postgame. "Getting those early runs on the board gave us confidence and let our pitching settle in."
Phillies led by Trea Turner, Bryce Harper defeat the Blue Jays
Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
The Phillies tagged Toronto starter Bowden Francis for seven runs — six earned — in just 1 2/3 innings, matching a career-worst for the Blue Jays right-hander. Philadelphia sent 11 batters to the plate in the opening frame and crushed every pitch they saw. The inning was capped by Max Kepler's RBI single and Stott's two-run knock, matching the Phillies' biggest inning of the season.
Advertisement
Harper, who went 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored, didn't show any rust after his five-game absence. His swing, clocked at 76.6 mph, delivered a laser to the seats and reminded everyone why he's one of the league's most feared hitters. "I just wanted to be aggressive," Harper said. "Felt good to be back out there with the guys."
Turner wasn't done after his first-inning bomb. In the eighth, he drilled his second homer of the night — a solo shot off reliever Erik Swanson — marking his first multi-homer game of the season and the 18th of his career. He finished the night with three hits and three RBIs.
On the mound, Cristopher Sánchez delivered exactly what the Phillies needed. The lefty allowed just one run across six innings, working around four walks and striking out four. It was his first win since May 7 and extended his streak of allowing three or fewer runs to 10 straight starts.
Toronto's offense showed some life late, with Davis Schneider hitting a solo homer in the fifth and Addison Barger adding a two-run blast in the eighth — his fourth straight game with a home run. But the early deficit was too much to overcome as the Blue Jays saw their five-game winning streak snapped.
The Phillies have now won 14 of their last 16 road games and will look to keep the momentum rolling on Wednesday when rookie Mick Abel takes the mound against Toronto's José Berríos .
