Bryce Harper, Max Kepler and Ranger Suárez help Phillies pull off sweep of Rockies
A Bryce Harper RBI double, another by Max Kepler and 6 2/3 scoreless innings from Ranger Suárez led the way on Thursday for the Phillies in their 2-0 win over the Rockies in Colorado, securing a four-game sweep for Rob Thomson’s club.
It was Suárez’s fourth start since returning from the injured list on May 3 and his third straight going at least six innings. He pitched seven frames in each of his last two starts before Thursday. Suárez dealt with traffic at times, allowing six hits and issuing three walks throughout the afternoon. But the left-hander hunkered down, stranding seven Rockies baserunners. Colorado went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position against Suárez.
Suárez stranded Brenton Doyle at third in the bottom of the second inning after the Rockies center fielder tripled to right field with one out. He stranded a pair of runners in the third after back-to-back two-out singles. A pair of free passes didn’t hurt Suárez in the fourth. He worked around a leadoff single by Ryan McMahon in the sixth.
The Phillies starter couldn’t escape the bottom of the seventh, though, allowing a two-out double to Jordan Beck and then walking Ezequiel Tovar. Suárez walked Tovar after getting ahead 0-2. The Rockies shortstop saw eight more pitches after being down in the count, fouling back a few and finally walking on a 93 mph outside fastball.
Ball four to Tovar was pitch 99 for Suárez. He was pulled so Orion Kerkering could face right-handed hitter Hunter Goodman. Kerkering didn’t break a sweat, getting Goodman to pop out into foul territory on one pitch. Harper caught the ball by reaching over the railing of the Rockies’ dugout.
Earlier in the ball game, Harper gave his club a 1-0 lead, doubling home Bryson Stott in the top of the fourth. It was Harper’s eighth hit of the series. It also extended his hit streak to seven games. Harper finished the four games at Coors Field 8-for-18 with six RBIs, staying on his recent heater. The two-time NL MVP is batting .357 with a 1.004 OPS over his last 15 games.
The Phillies’ second run came in the seventh inning. After a leadoff walk by Kyle Schwarber, Kepler’s RBI double came two batters later. As the ball rolled to the wall, Schwarber went for a run around the bases, scoring from first on the play.
The Phillies leave Colorado after an offensive outburst of 27 runs on 50 hits over four days. They start a three-game set in Sacramento against the Athletics on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 10:05 p.m. ET. Zack Wheeler is slated to be on the bump.