PHILADELPHIA — Ranger Suárez pitched six strong innings, Whit Merrifield homered and the streaking Philadelphia Phillies routed the San Francisco Giants 14-3 on Saturday night.
Kyle Schwarber, Johan Rojas and Bryson Stott each drove in two runs, and every starter had at least one hit for Philadelphia.
“We had good at-bats up and down the lineup,” Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said.
The Phillies have won 15 of 18, and their 23 victories are the most in the majors.
“We’re getting good pitching, timely hitting and getting different people to contribute every night,” Thomson said. “That’s the sign of a good team. We have to stay humble and just keep grinding out games.”
The win was dampened a bit by news prior to the contest that shortstop Trea Turner will miss at least six weeks with a left hamstring strain. And third baseman Alec Bohm departed in the third inning due to left hip tightness that occurred during his second-inning at-bat when he extended his hitting streak to 17 consecutive games with a single.
Both Thomson and Bohm downplayed the injury afterward, and Bohm said he expects to be in the lineup on Sunday evening. The Phillies had plenty of firepower without Turner and with Bohm for just two at-bats.
“We’re a deep team,” Bohm said.
Wilmer Flores homered for the Giants, who have lost five of seven.
The game was delayed at the start by 1 hour, 10 minutes due to rain and played in a persistent drizzle on a cool, raw night in Philadelphia, where most of the announced sellout crowd of 42,610 took cover in dry areas.
“Both teams had to play in it,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “Have to figure out a way.”
Suárez (6-0) won his sixth consecutive start, allowing three runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and a walk. The lefty has a 1.72 ERA.
“He was crisp,” Thomson said.
Giants starter Keaton Winn (3-4) couldn’t get through the first inning when the Phillies scored five runs on four hits to give Suárez plenty of cushion. Philadelphia tacked on four more runs in the second off right-hander Mitch White.
One of the Giants’ best performances of the evening came in the eighth when outfielder Tyler Fitzgerald retired the Phillies 1-2-3 in a quick eighth inning.
Edmundo Sosa went 1 for 4 with an RBI in place of Turner and likely will get the bulk of the starts at shortstop while Turner recovers.
Turner was injured on a stellar hustle play in the fourth inning of Philadelphia’s 4-3 win over the Giants on Friday. He singled, stole second and scored from there on a passed ball on a walk to Bryce Harper. Philadelphia’s speedy shortstop just beat the tag by right-hander Jordan Hicks, and plate umpire Brian Walsh’s safe call was confirmed by video review.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Giants: San Francisco lost its starting catcher for the second straight day when Tom Murphy exited with a left knee injury in the second inning. He was replaced by Blake Sabol. Murphy was in the starting lineup because Patrick Bailey was placed on the seven-day concussion injured list after departing Friday’s contest with blurry vision with one out in the bottom of the second inning. Melvin said afterward that Murphy would have further tests but that the injury “doesn’t seem great.”
Phillies: Philadelphia recalled Kody Clemens from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take Turner’s roster spot.
UP NEXT
Phillies RHP Taijuan Walker (1-0, 8.53 ERA) opposes San Francisco RHP Logan Webb (3-2, 2.98) in the third contest of the four-game set on Sunday evening.
