Manager Rob Thomson has talked a lot this season about how rest can sometimes do a hitter good.
No doubt Edmundo Sosa agrees. He is now the first Phillies shortstop to hit three home runs in a game.
And Kyle Schwarber? Well, he’s just a monster. He’s two home runs closer to breaking Ryan Howard’s franchise record for most home runs in a season (58).
And the rest of the team certainly looked playoff ready on Wednesday as the Phillies clinched the No. 2 seed with an 11-1 thrashing of the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park on what started as a somber, damp night and finished with all the electricity of a summer lightning storm.
Reinstated from the Injured List prior to Wednesday’s game, Sosa was inserted into the lineup at shortstop and hit sixth. In his first action since September 12, all Sosa did was slug three home runs and drive in five. Not to be outdone, Schwarber also hit a pair of bombs, his first off lefty Ryan Weathers. That home run gave him a major league record of 23 home runs in a season off a lefthanded pitcher. In all, the Phillies belted a team-record eight home runs.
Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm and Otto Kemp also left the yard for the Phillies, who got a phenomenal starting performance from Jesus Luzardo to improve to 92-65 on the season while handing the Marlins just their second loss in the past 13 games.
After Schwarber tied the score at 1-1 in the third with his 55th home run of the season to dead center field, Sosa one-handed a homer to center that just seemed to keep carrying over centerfielder Jakob Marsee’s head.
Two batters later, Stott upped the lead to 3-1 when he hit a no-doubt-about-it shot to right, his 13th of the season. After that, it was literally bombs away as they scored five in the seventh on homers by Schwarber, Bohm, Kemp and Sosa.
In the past two nights against the Miami Marlins, starting pitchers Cristopher Sanchez and Luzardo combined to pitch 14 innings without giving up a run. Tuesday, the bullpen couldn’t hold a 3-0 lead. Gifted with an 11-1 lead on Wednesday, Luzardo’s win was safe after he allowed just three hits, no earned runs and struck out 10 in his seven innings.
It was the seventh time this season Luzardo has struck out 10 or more batters and he has now set career highs with 216 strikeouts and 186 2/3 innings pitched.
Schwarber picked up four hits on the night, a triple shy of a cycle. He also upped his RBI total on the season to a National League leading 132. Bohm continued his hot hitting since coming off the IL on Friday by collecting two more hits.
The series finale will be Thursday as the Marlins are scheduled to pitch right-hander Janson Junk against the Phillies’ Walker Buehler.
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