Kyle Schwarber homered for the fourth time in two games and Cristopher Sanchez pitched seven effective innings and the visiting Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 on Wednesday afternoon.
Schwarber’s solo shot followed a three-homer game on Tuesday. Kody Clemens added a two-run blast and J.T. Realmuto had a solo homer for the Phillies (83-56), who swept the two-game set. They took the season series 3-1 over Toronto (67-74).
Sanchez (10-9) allowed two runs and six hits with seven strikeouts. Both runs came in the first inning.
Toronto’s Bowden Francis (8-4) allowed three runs and six hits with six strikeouts in six innings. He was coming off a 4-1, 1.05 ERA, record in August.
Schwarber hit his 32nd homer of the season in the first on a drive to right, the second game in a row he homered to lead off the game. He has 13 leadoff homers this season to tie the major league record by Alfonso Soriano of the New York Yankees in 2003.
Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper was hit on the left elbow by a pitch in the first inning. He remained in the game until the third when Edmundo Sosa pinch-hit for him. The Phillies said he had a contusion on the elbow.
Carlos Estevez of the Phillies pitched around a walk in the ninth to earn his 24th save.
Toronto answered in the home first with successive doubles by Daulton Varsho, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk to take a 2-1 lead.
Philadelphia regained the lead in the second when Brandon Marsh singled and Clemens hit his fourth homer of the season on a blast to right.
Sanchez retired nine in a row until Brian Serven doubled with one out in the fifth. He finished the inning by forcing a groundout to second and a lineout to left.
Francis retired his final eight batters before Brendon Little replaced him in the seventh and pitched around a hit batter.
Spencer Horwitz led off the Toronto seventh with a single to first that was deflected by Clemens. Sanchez finished the inning with a strikeout and two flyouts.
Philadelphia’s Jeff Hoffman pitched a clean eighth.
Realmuto led off the ninth against Ryan Burr with his 12th homer of the season.