That’s how long it had been since the Phillies last won a road game against the Texas Rangers. March 31, 2014. Back when Jimmy Rollins was still their shortstop and Bryce Harper was still a National.
That streak is over. And it ended Friday night in a game where you could pick your headliner.
Was it Trea Turner, who drove in five runs — and did it with his first homer in more than a month? Was it Kyle Schwarber, who launched his 41st home run of the season in the first inning? Or was it Brandon Marsh, who just might have stolen the whole show?
The Phillies set the tone right away. First inning, Schwarber yanked a pitch down the right-field line, off the foul pole, and just like that it was 1-0. His 41st homer. His latest entry in a season where baseballs keep finding their way to orbit.
Then came Marsh. Double in the second. Then, leading off the fourth, he crushed one 109.3 mph into the seats — the second-hardest-hit homer of his career — giving the Phillies the lead for good at 2-1. That made it two homers in as many games, four in his last eight. And he was just getting warmed up.
Later that same inning, Turner ripped a two-run double to stretch the lead to 4-1. In the fifth, Marsh doubled again. In the seventh, he singled. By night’s end, the 27-year-old had his fifth career four-hit game — and just his second with three extra-base hits — plus a highlight in center field, racing down a drive from Kyle Higashioka to help Cristopher Sánchez escape the sixth inning.
Since returning from the injured list on May 3, Marsh has been one of the Phillies’ best players, hitting .302 with an .815 OPS in 74 games before Friday. And he just padded those numbers in style.
And then came the ninth. Turner, still sitting on a homer drought that dated back to June 27, unloaded a three-run shot to right-center. First long ball in more than a month. First five-RBI game as a Phillie. The exclamation point on a 9-1 win.
It didn’t start smoothly for Sánchez. Three singles and a run in the first inning had him in early trouble. But then he settled in. Ten straight Rangers retired at one point. Six innings, one run, six strikeouts, one walk.
He came into the night with the NL’s fourth-best WAR (3.8) among qualified starters and its third-lowest ERA (2.40), per FanGraphs. Now? That ERA’s down to 2.36 over 144 2/3 innings.
With the Mets losing, the Phillies (66-49) pushed their NL East lead to 3.5 games. And maybe more importantly, they can finally delete that Texas-sized road losing streak from the franchise to-do list.
Updates from Allentown
Two days. Two outings. One final box checked.
David Robertson climbed the mound for Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday, then did it again Thursday — back-to-back days, the last test before swapping minor-league bats for big-league ones.
Now it’s about the morning-after report. Manager Rob Thomson, speaking to reporters in Texas, said if Robertson’s arm responds well, he’ll be back in red pinstripes on Sunday.
Now it’s about the morning-after report. Manager Rob Thomson, speaking to reporters in Texas, said if Robertson’s arm responds well, he’ll be back in red pinstripes on Sunday.
Thomson also noted that Alec Bohm will begin a rehab assignment with Lehigh Valley on Sunday.
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