Zack Wheeler struck out 10 over seven-plus innings, Nick Castellanos and Brandon Marsh each hit three-run homers during a seven-run seventh inning, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the visiting St. Louis Cardinals 12-1 on Saturday.
Bryson Stott hit a solo homer and Bryce Harper added three hits and two RBIs for Philadelphia, which has outscored St. Louis 19-3 in the first two games of the series. The Phillies have gone deep 48 times in August, setting a franchise record for home runs in a month.
Wheeler (10-6) gave up three hits with no walks and reached the 10-win mark for the sixth time in his career. He has posted a 2.51 ERA over his last seven starts.
St. Louis was held to four hits and lost for the eighth time in its last 10 games.
Luken Baker hit his first career homer with one out in the third inning to give the Cardinals a brief 1-0 lead. Wheeler struck out six of the first seven batters he faced before Baker’s blast to left field.
Philadelphia answered with two runs in the bottom of the third against Dakota Hudson (5-1), whose five-game win streak came to an end.
After Hudson allowed the first three batters in the third inning to reach base safely, Marsh scored on Trea Turner’s double-play grounder. Harper followed with an RBI single to right field.
The Phillies moved ahead 3-1 on Stott’s leadoff homer in the fourth inning. The 378-foot shot was his 13th homer of the season.
Turner extended his hitting streak to seven games with a two-out double in the fifth and scored on Harper’s single. Harper is 17-for-34 with five homers, 11 RBIs and 12 runs in his past nine games.
The Phillies drew clear in the seventh inning when they sent 11 batters to the plate and scored seven runs on six hits. Turner sparked the outburst with an RBI single, and Castellanos and Marsh each hit three-run homers.
St. Louis played without third baseman Nolan Arenado, who exited Friday’s series opener with lower-back tightness and is listed as day-to-day.
–Field Level Media
