Simple. You let Cristopher Sánchez spin six innings of one-hit magic. You squeeze in a run. You string together three straight singles. And you let Bryce Harper do Bryce Harper things.
That’s exactly what the Phillies did Wednesday night, rolling past the Tampa Bay Rays, 7-0, at Citizens Bank Park in one of those games that wasn’t close, wasn’t complicated, and wasn’t in doubt once the fourth inning ended.
Let’s start with Sánchez. The lefty gave up a single to Junior Caminero in the first inning … and that was it. One hit. One walk. Five strikeouts. And zero Rays made it past first base the entire night. His ERA? Shrunk from 3.45 to 2.89. His record? Now 4-1. His confidence? Growing by the start.
Then came the offense. It started innocently enough in the third, when Trea Turner lined a solo homer to left-center off Shane Baz for a 1-0 lead. But the wheels really fell off for Baz an inning later.
With runners at the corners and one out, Johan Rojas dropped down a perfect squeeze bunt to score J.T. Realmuto. Three straight singles followed. Then Harper smoked a two-run double the other way, chasing Baz and turning a 1-0 game into a 6-0 laugher.
By the end of the fourth, the Phillies had sent nine men to the plate, scored five runs, and left the Rays trying to figure out what just hit them.
Realmuto, ironically, was the only Phillies starter without a hit—then left the game in the seventh after fouling a ball off his left foot (the official diagnosis: a foot contusion).
Oh, and Kyle Schwarber? He singled in the first inning, extending his on-base streak to 42 games—the longest active streak in the majors. No big deal.
And if you’re wondering how the Phillies protected that lead, Taijuan Walker had something to say about it. Making his first bullpen appearance of the season, Walker fired three innings of one-hit ball, striking out seven to record his first career save. A little unexpected? Sure. But in this Phillies season, nothing seems to surprise.
And how about this: Over their last five games, the Phillies have launched 10 home runs. But Wednesday? They only needed one—the Turner liner. Everything else? Good old-fashioned small ball: singles, a bunt, aggressive baserunning, and timely doubles.
With the win, the Phillies have now gone 8-2 since their April 25 loss. And Turner? He’s quietly hitting .307 with two homers, 13 RBIs, a .375 OBP, and a .769 OPS on the season.
The formula Wednesday? A dominant Sánchez. A little bit of power. A whole lot of execution. And a team that just keeps finding ways to win.
