Kyle Schwarber hit a grand slam for his MLB-leading 44th home run, highlighting the Philadelphia Phillies’ 11-7 victory over the visiting Houston Astros on Wednesday.
Bryce Harper and Trea Turner drove in two runs apiece for Philadelphia (82-64), which moved within 3 1/2 games of the first-place Atlanta Braves in the National League East.
Isaac Paredes and Cam Smith homered for Houston (74-72), which sits three games ahead of the second-place Texas Rangers in the American League West. The Astros got to Phillies star left-hander Cristopher Sanchez but could not hold an early 4-0 lead.
Sanchez (17-5) surrendered six runs and 10 hits in six innings, striking out just three of the 26 batters he faced. Astros starter Hunter Brown gave up five runs (four earned) and seven hits in five frames.
Neither team scored in the first two innings before Houston started the offensive party with four runs against Sanchez in the third. Paredes’ two-run homer was the highlight of the inning, although the Phillies promptly responded with four runs in the bottom half to draw even at 4-4.
Smith homered in the fourth — a two-run shot off Sanchez — to put the Astros back in front. Turner countered with a solo shot in the fifth as the hosts clawed within 6-5.
Philadelphia erupted for six runs in the sixth against the Houston bullpen. Bryan King (2-5) started the inning and allowed all four hitters he faced to reach base. Luis Arraez doubled and Bryson Stott reached on an error by first baseman Christian Walker before Edmundo Sosa delivered an RBI single.
After Justin Crawford reached on an infield hit to load the bases, the Astros turned to AJ Blubaugh. He struck out J.T. Realmuto for the first out but then walked in a run to make it 7-6. That set the stage for Schwarber to hook a 3-2 sweeper off the facing of the second deck for his 10th career grand slam.
Paredes’ RBI single in the seventh brought Houston within 11-7, but the Astros’ bats were quiet down the stretch.
