By Sam Bush
Harper homered and drove in four runs and the Phillies finally found a way to beat the Miami Marlins, ending a streak of five losses with a 13-6 victory.
Harper now has 199 career homers and 999 hits.
He hit run-scoring singles in the first and sixth innings and a two-run homer in the eighth, his 15th, which hiked his average to .250.
Jake Arrieta (8-6) allowed four runs in six innings but contributed a two-run single. Jean Segura (above) and Cesar Hernandez each had three of the Phillies’ 17 hits and scored twice, and Brad Miller hit his third homer and singled in a run.
“To salvage a game and not get swept is important for us,” Arrieta said.
After the Phils took a 10-1 lead, Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro earned a consolation prize of sorts. Recently sidelined by a concussion, he came away from a sixth-inning collision with a bloody nose, stepped to the plate in the bottom of the inning with a swab in his left nostril and hit a two-run homer.
“I want to stay in the game no matter what,” Alfaro said.
That was it for Marlins’ highlights. They had a chance to sweep for the second weekend in a row but instead looked like a team with the NL’s worst record — which they are.
Miami allowed the Phillies to score on a steal attempt that turned into a strange double play, and again after the Phils had two runners trapped on third base.
Philadelphia broke the game open with seven runs in the sixth, including five against Wei-Yin Chen, who failed to retire a batter and was jeered by the crowd of 11,742. His ERA rose to 8.16.
Trevor Richards (3-9) allowed three runs in five innings.
The Phillies went 11-16 in June to fall behind Atlanta in the NL East.
“You’re going to have your ups and downs during a season,” Harper said. “Hopefully you have more ups than downs.”
