TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Schwarber, Alec Bohm and Nick Castellanos all homered, and Zack Wheeler pitched seven solid innings as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-4 on Tuesday night.
Castellanos hit a three-run shot to break open a close game in the eighth, and finished 3 for 5 with four RBIs. Schwarber, who homered to put the Phillies on the board in the second, had three hits and two RBIs.
Bohm hit his first homer since last Sept. 20, a two-run shot in the second that made it 3-0. Harper and Trea Turner had two hits for Philadelphia, which has won seven of its last nine.
Wheeler (3-1) scattered four hits while walking none with nine strikeouts. His only blemishes came in the fourth, when Brandon Lowe led off with a double and Yandy Diaz followed with a two-run homer. Wheeler then retired 11 of his final 12.
Diaz (right leg) left the game with an 0-2 count in the bottom of the sixth after an awkward swing. Christopher Morel pinch hit for Diaz and flied out to end the inning.
Tampa Bay sold out Steinbrenner Field, its temporary home, for the 22nd time in 23 games.
Key moment
Philadelphia entered the eighth with a 3-2 lead but opened with four straight hits off reliever Mason Englert, including Schwarber’s RBI single and Castellanos’ homer.
Key stat
Schwarber, who has five homers over his last seven games, hit a 97-mph fastball from Drew Rasmussen (1-3) over the left-field wall in the second inning. Schwarber has reached safely in 41 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the majors.
Up next
Rays RHP Shane Baz (3-1, 3.86 ERA) starts in the middle game of the series against Phillies LHP Cristopher Sánchez (3-1, 3.45).
___
AP MLB:
