Less than a week after they swept them on their home turf, the Philadelphia Phillies (31-29) played host to the San Diego Padres (32-27) and took game one of the midweek series 3-2 on Tuesday night.
Aaron Nola made his second consecutive start against the Padres and went five innings striking out eight and allowing just two runs on a home run by Gavin Sheets in the third inning.
Bryce Harper leveled the score in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run blast of his own, his 14th of the season, after a Trea Turner single.
The Phillies scored the go-ahead run on an Alec Bohm double play, his first of two in the game.
Jose Alvarado picked up the win and led the way for Nola’s relief corps, followed by Orion Kerkering, Brad Keller and Jhoan Duran, who combined for four scoreless innings.
Keller allowed a lead-off single to Fernando Tatis, Jr., his third of the night, and allowed another hit to Miguel Andujar but got out of the jam after a rundown blunder by Tatis between second and third.
Duran struck out the side in the top of the ninth for his 13th save in as many tries.
25-year-old outfielder, Jase Bowen, made his MLB debut for the Pads in left field and got his first big league hit in his third at bat in the seventh inning off Kerkering, but was meekly dispatched by Duran for the game’s final out on three swings on balls outside the zone.
Brandon Marsh went four for four, all singles, to raise his average to .332, second in the NL behind Miami’s Otto Lopez.
Cristopher Sanchez will look to extend his franchise best scoreless innings streak tomorrow night against Walker Buehler.
