MILWAUKEE (AP) — Bryce Harper hit a game-winning two-run home run in the sixth inning, backing up strong pitching from Zack Wheeler as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 in a battle of division leaders on Tuesday night.
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Nick Castellanos contributed a solo shot and Trea Turner hit 3-of-5 to help the Phillies move closer to the NL East title while the Brewers’ NL Central championship celebration was postponed.
The Brewers’ magic number dropped to one with the Chicago Cubs’ 4-3 loss to the Oakland Athletics. The Phillies lowered their magic number for winning the NL East to four, although their magic number for simply reaching the postseason dropped to one.
Philadelphia’s win on Tuesday gave the Phillies (91-60) a tiebreaker advantage over the Brewers (87-64) in the battle for a possible playoff spot.
“We really needed a win here,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “We’ll try to win the series tomorrow, but I think getting the tiebreaker against these guys is going to be hugely important down the stretch.”
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Wheeler (16-6) allowed just four hits and one run in seven innings while allowing six strikeouts and no walks. Wheeler, who lowered his ERA to 2.56, has pitched at least six innings in each of his last nine starts and has allowed no more than two runs.
“I try to do at least six or seven every time,” Wheeler said. “If I do more, that’s great. Try to do that, save our bullpen. That adds up over the course of the season if they save those innings in the bullpen. We need them now for this stretch.”
With his 16 wins, Wheeler ranks second in the NL behind Atlanta’s Chris Sale, Wheeler’s main rival for the Cy Young Award.
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“He’s the Cy Young, man,” Harper said. “I’ve said it out there. I don’t think anyone in baseball is better than him right now. I don’t think anyone in the National League is, either. People in Atlanta probably think the same thing about the guy pitching down there. I thought he got cheated out of the Cy Young three years ago (when Wheeler finished second to Corbin Burnes). I think he earned it this year.”
The score was tied 1-1 until Harper sent a 1-1 pitch from Frankie Montas over the left-center field wall for his 29th home run of the season. Harper’s two-run shot also brought home Kyle Schwarber, who led off with an infield single.
Montas (7-11) struck out 10 batters in 5 2/3 innings and allowed three runs, six hits and two walks.
Philadelphia extended the lead to 4-1 in the seventh inning when Schwarber hit a ball that bounced off pitcher Aaron Ashby’s leg and flew into shallow right field for an RBI single after Edmundo Sosa’s leadoff double.
Turner added a two-out RBI single in the ninth.
“They have two of the best power hitters in the game and a couple of other guys who are some of the best hitters in the game, so you can’t give them anything,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “You have to keep the pressure on, and we couldn’t do that.”
Castellanos opened the second inning with a 430-footer over the left-center field wall for his 21st home run of the season. The Phillies got runners on first and second base later in the second inning before Montas struck out Cal Stevenson, ending the inning.
The Brewers tied the game in the fourth inning when William Contreras singled and scored on Garrett Mitchell’s triple to right center, but the Brewers left Mitchell at third base.
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TRAINING ROOM
The Phillies activated Sosa from the 10-day injured list and sent IF Buddy Kennedy to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. In another move, the Phillies sent C Aramis Garcia directly to Lehigh Valley after he came off the waivers list. Garcia was scheduled to play on Sunday.
Manager Rob Thomson said fullback Austin Hays ran at full intensity for the first time Tuesday since going on the injured list with a kidney infection on Sept. 5. Thomson said the infection has cleared up.
Next
RHP Aaron Nola (12-8, 3.62 ERA) will pitch for the Phillies and RHP Freddy Peralta (11-8, 3.75) will start for the Brewers when this three-game series ends Wednesday night.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
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