Sosa’s homer helps Phillies clinch series victory over Orioles
PHILADELPHIA — Edmundo Sosa hit a tiebreaking solo homer to the opposite field with two outs in the seventh inning to help the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 on Wednesday night.
J.T. Realmuto knocked in two runs with an RBI double, while Bryce Harper added an insurance run with a seventh-inning RBI single to allow the Phillies (55-47) to win the best-of-three series against their I-95 neighbors.
“It was really important to contribute and help the team win in a moment like that,” Sosa said.
Adley Rutschman hit a threerun homer for the Orioles, who maintained a 1 ½-game lead over Tampa Bay in the American League East after finishing 4-3 on their seven-game trip.
“It was definitely a letdown,” said Baltimore starting pitcher Kyle Bradish, who surrendered the homer to Sosa. “Tough day to not be your best, trying to win a series against a good team.”
Sosa got the start at shortstop for the Phillies after manager Rob Thomson decided to give Trea Turner a day off.
Turner carried a .225 average in 12 games after the All-Star break and was hitting .245 for the season in the first year of a 10-year, $330 million contract with Philadelphia signed in December.
Bradish (6-6) allowed five earned runs and seven hits in
6 ⅔ innings.
“That’s kind of been a big bugaboo for our pitching staff this year, executing 0-2,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “Up and away, and Sosa put a good swing on it.”
After Kyle Schwarber walked and Nick Castellanos was hit by a pitch from Cionel Perez, Harper bounced a grounder up the middle that hopped just past the outstretched arm of Jorge Mateo, allowing Schwarber to score.
Thomson used Craig Kimbrel in the eighth against the heart of the Baltimore lineup, and he retired Anthony Santander, Ryan Mountcastle and Jordan Westburg on just 12 pitches.
“They had three lefties on the bench and we felt they would pinch-hit in the bottom of the order,” Thomson said. “We thought they would not pinchhit in the middle of the order, so we just flipped it.”
Seranthony Dominguez (2-2) got the win for the Phillies, who received a two-hit game from former Kecoughtan High star Jake Cave. Gregory Soto earned his second save of the year with a clean ninth inning.
Austin Hays had two hits for the Orioles.
Baltimore was off Thursday and returns home to begin a three-game series against the New Yankees tonight. Righthander Grayson Rodriguez (2-2, 6.91 ERA) will face Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (9-2, 2.78).