Schwarber, Sanchez, Clemens key Phillies sweep; Harper exits after HBP

Schwarber, Sanchez, Clemens key Phillies sweep; Harper exits after HBP originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Kyle Schwarber opened the game with a home run for the second straight day, Cristopher Sanchez settled in after a shaky first inning and the Phillies finished off a two-game road sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Schwarber homered three times as part of a five-hit night Tuesday and hit another bomb on the second pitch of Wednesday’s 4-2 win. He’s tied with Alfonso Soriano in 2003 for the most leadoff home runs (13) ever in a season.

Kody Clemens, who had two important at-bats off the bench Tuesday night with an RBI groundout and double ahead of Schwarber’s game-winning homer, gave the Phillies a lead that lasted Wednesday with a two-run homer in the second inning off Bowden Francis.

The Blue Jays jumped on Sanchez with four doubles in their first eight at-bats but did nothing against him thereafter. The lefty delivered seven walk-free innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts to improve to 10-9 with a 3.45 ERA in 159 innings.

The seven innings from Sanchez were crucial because the Phillies used six relievers to get from the bottom of the first to the bottom of the ninth Tuesday after Tyler Phillips recorded only two outs. They needed only Jeff Hoffman (1.82 ERA) and Carlos Estevez (2.17), who did what they usually do by throwing up goose eggs.

The Phillies are 83-56 and rolling. They’ve won four consecutive series over the Royals, Astros, Braves and Blue Jays, going 9-3 in the process. They continue to maintain a nearly insurmountable division lead over the Braves, stay ahead of the Brewers for the 2-seed and keep pace with the Dodgers for the top overall record.

A sour note in the win was Bryce Harper’s early exit. Harper was hit by a pitch on the left elbow in his first and only plate appearance. He was clearly in pain but remained in the game until his second at-bat when Edmundo Sosa pinch-hit.

Harper is more than a little banged up. He’s dealing with a wrist injury that has lingered for three-plus months, soreness in his right elbow and now pain in the left elbow. It would not be at all surprising to see manager Rob Thomson play it safe with him against the Marlins, even if it means sitting one game.

The Phillies have also played five in a row without Alec Bohm, who strained his left hand on a swing last Thursday. The team is hopeful to have Bohm back for the four-game series in Miami Thursday through Sunday and Thomson reiterated in Toronto that it’s not an IL situation.

The Phils will start Ranger Suarez, Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola in their first three games at loanDepot Park. Sunday is TBD after Phillips was optioned to Triple A on Wednesday.