By Sam Bush
Odubel Herrera smacked a homer and three runs batted in as the Phillies beat the Cardinals 7-6.
“I’m feeling good, feeling comfortable,” Herrera said. “Just being part of the team and being part of the win.”
Odubel Herrera extended his streak of reaching base to 45 consecutive games with his third inning home run.
Jorge Alfaro pinch hit for Andrew Knapp in the eighth inning and knocked a single up the middle to drive in Scott Kingery for the game-winning run. Alfaro was scratched with right knee soreness after originally being in the lineup. He was removed from Friday night’s game with soreness in the knee.
Tommy Hunter (1-0) was initially in line for the loss after allowing an RBI double to Matt Carpenter in the seventh inning. Carpenter drove in Tommy Pham with a double off Hunter to give the Cardinals a 6-5 lead in the seventh inning.
Seranthony Dominguez pitched two perfect innings for his first career save.
“Seranthony was tremendous in the eighth and ninth,” Philadelphia manager Gabe Kapler said. “We thought that was the right spot for him.”
The Phillies surrendered a pair of leads before breaking through for good in the eighth inning to put themselves in position to win their first series against the Cardinals since August 22-24, 2014.
“In many ways that’s felt like the biggest win of the year for us,” Kapler said. “I thought all of our guys did a great job, specifically giving a lot of credit how we came back during the delay. It takes mental toughness to come back after that and be as strong as we were.”
Tyler O’Neill tied the game 5-5 when he hit his first career home run off Luis Garcia in the sixth inning.
“I think that’s the first time that I’ve smiled hitting a home run in a long time,” O’Neill said. “Just 42,000 plus backing you, it’s a great feeling.”
Zach Eflin surrendered four runs on three hits in 4 2/3 innings before departing after a 44-minute rain delay.
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