Bullpen falters, Phillies lose to Blue Jays 8-5

Armed with a six-man bench for the Blue Jays’ two games in Philadelphia, manager John Gibbons has plenty of options to turn to as he works under National League rules.

Then he went out and instantly made good on his wish.

Pinch-hitting in the eighth inning, Beltran’s three-run homer off reliever Aaron Sanchez carried the Yankees to an electric, 4-3 victory against the Blue Jays – a win that vaulted the Yankees back into first place Friday night by a half-game over Toronto.

The game was essentially overshadowed by the breaking news beforehand that the Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers were in the midst of final talks on a trade of Chase Utley. But Altherr would wind up offering a pleasant diversion during it. That ties him with righthander Jason Beverlin for the 13th most strikeouts a single season in the Bisons’ modern era. Buehrle walked a pair in that outing, matching his total from his previous seven starts.

The son of an Army mother and German soccer pro father, Altherr was a somewhat marginal prospect in the Phillies organization until finally graduating to Double-A last season. He’d made a brief visit with the big club in June on an emergency basis, but still just 24, became a solid contributor for Class AAA Lehigh Valley this season, hitting. One out later, Encarnacion ripped his homer, a solo liner to left that stretched that lead out to 8-5.

Rookie Adam Morgan will try to slow the Toronto offense while veteran Mark Buehrle takes the mound for the Blue Jays in the finale.

Altherr commented on how it felt to produce as a rookie, “It was good to be out there and get that first hit out of the way”. Whatever the team needs me to do that’s what I’m ready to provide for them.

No one knows that better than Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Ben Revere.

True or not it seemed an appropriate story.

Francoeur gave Philadelphia a 4-0 lead with a two-out homer in the third, the fifth in his last nine games at Citizens Bank Park.

First off, apologies to the Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals and Philadelphia Phillies, which we are certain are all fine, upstanding baseball organizations.

Morgan, who matched the longest outing of his first season, yielded two runs and 5 hits whereas putting out three. He appears unencumbered getting into his crouch and continues to be a threat to throw out would-be base stealers. “I think everyone’s just really excited to have something to cheer about and have the Jays doing so well”.

“I actually did not attempt to do something particular”, he stated, “simply stick with my strengths and transfer the ball out and in, back and front”. Firstly what happened to the great pitching?

“If you apply more pressure than is already going to be applied to you, that’s going to make it extremely tough for you to go out there and do your job”, he explained. “It takes the pressure off”. The left-hander surrendered two runs and five hits while striking out three without a walk in seven innings. “Other than the fifth inning, he mowed them down”.

Toronto reportedly plans to use Hague, who is 6 feet 3 inches tall and 225 pounds, as a reserve first baseman or possibly a pinch-hitter in its series with the Philadelphia Phillies. But Garcia bore down and got risky Josh Donaldson to bounce out, then struck out Jose Bautista to escape further trouble.

Ken Giles pitched a scoreless ninth for his eighth save in 11 chances.

Instead, Dom Brown came out of the dugout and grounded out.