PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Xander Bogaerts and Danny Santana hit consecutive home runs in the sixth inning, Matt Barnes retired Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins to strand the potential tying run in the ninth, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 Saturday night for their fourth straight win.
Nathan Eovaldi (5-2) ended a streak of three no-decisions, allowing two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings.
“Any time a team is going well, the starting pitchers are giving you quality outings,” Eovaldi said. “With our lineup, if you give up two or three runs, you have a really good chance to win the ballgame.”
Four relievers combined for one-run, two-hit relief, and AL East-leading Boston improved to a season-high 11 games over .500 at 29-18.
“It was huge,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “It didn’t look easy, but the pitching staff did an amazing job.”
Philadelphia has lost four in a row and six of seven, dropping two games under .500 for the first time this year at 22-24. The Phillies went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position, left 10 runners on base and struck out 13 times — the 14th time in May reaching double digits and 29th time in 46 games this season.
“It’s hard to score runs when you strike out a lot,” Phillies manager Joe Girardi said. “You can hit a ton of home runs and score a lot of runs and strike out, but we’re not doing that. We’ll continue to talk about approaches. We have some guys who have gotten off to slow starts and guys in some slumps. But I think we’re capable of doing better.”
Ronald Torreyes singled leading off the ninth and Jean Segura walked with one out. Harper grounded to first baseman Bobby Dalbec, whose off-line throw to second was reeled in by Bogarts as the shortstop managed to keep a foot on the base, with Segura waving an arm and possibly obstructing his view.
Barnes then struck out Hoskins on four knuckle-curves, the last in the dirt, for his 11th save in 12 chances.
“Watching him grow and develop even from ’18 when I got first got here has been incredible,” Eovaldi said. “His mechanics are a lot cleaner and he’s going right after batters. It’s an uncomfortable at-bat for hitters going up against him.”
Harper struck out three times in an 0-for-5 night and is in a 2-for-25 slide with 13 strikeouts. Bothered by a shoulder injury that forced him from a game against Toronto last week, he is hitless in his last 16 at-bats.
“I’ll go in and think about it before making a decision on tomorrow’s lineup,” Girardi said.
Boston took a 2-0 lead in the third off Spencer Howard (0-1), who made his first start this season after three relief appearances.
Eovaldi and walked Kiké Hernández, and Rafael Devers followed with a double for the only hit Howard allowed in three innings. Bogaerts added a sacrifice fly.
“I kind of didn’t give myself enough time to regroup after running to first (in the second inning),” Howard said. “I had more and more trust in my stuff and got aggressive. It wasn’t a total loss today and there were a few positives.”
Odubel Herrera cut the gap to 2-1 with a sacrifice fly in the fourth, and Bogaerts and Santana homered in a three-pitch span from Sam Coonrod starting the sixth. Bogaert has 10 homers this season, and Santana hit his second in as many nights since his contract was selected Friday from Triple-A Worcester.
Hoskins hit a solo homer inside the left-field foul pole in the bottom half, reaching 100 home runs in 450 games. He is the third-fastest among Phillies to start their career behind Ryan Howard (325) and Chuck Klein (390).
Santana was hit by a Howard pitch in the second inning, Segura was hit by Phillips Valdez in the seventh and Hoskins was plunked in the ribs by Darwinzon Hernández with the bases loaded later in the seventh.
Hernández struck out Brad Miller with a fastball to strand the bases full.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: OF Alex Verdugo was out of the Boston lineup on Saturday night after straining his left hamstring on Friday. “It’s nothing serious,” Cora said, hoping Verdugo could play Tuesday.. ... LHP Chris Sale, returning from Tommy John surgery that has sidelined him since Aug. 13, 2019, threw from flat ground.
Philies: LHP Matt Moore was placed on the 10-day IL with low back spasms.
UP NEXT
LHP Eduardo Rodríguez (5-2, 4.70) starts Sunday’s series finale for Boston and RHP Zack Wheeler (3-2, 2.52) for Philadelphia.
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