Harper’s home run helps Phillies beat old team

PHILLIES 5, NATIONALS 4

WASHINGTON — Bryce Harper’s solo home run in the eighth inning against his former team was the difference in the Philadelphia Phillies’ 5-4 victory against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.

Harper hit a 430-foot home run to left-center off Javy Guerra, his 17th, for a 5-2 lead.

The Phils held on for their third consecutive victory. They are now 11/2 games behind the division-leading New York Mets, who lost again to Miami on Tuesday.

Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler (9-6) gave up a two-run homer to Josh Bell in the eighth. Wheeler was pushed a night after the Phillies used most of their bullpen to get through a 7-5 victory. Wheeler allowed 8 hits and 4 earned runs in 7 1 / 3 innings.

Jean Segura, J.T. Realmuto and Ronald Torreyes also homered for the Phillies.

Jose Alvardo pitched the ninth for his fourth save because Philadelphia Manager Joe Girardi did not want to use closer Ian Kennedy for a third consecutive night. Kennedy was acquired from Texas before the trading deadline.

Wheeler controlled the first 52/3 innings with crisp fastballs. He struck out eight, didn’t allow a hit until the fifth.

Washington starter Patrick Corbin (6-10) allowed Segura’s home run on his first pitch, but matched Wheeler for the most part. It was Segura’s third leadoff home run this season and the 12th of his career.

Corbin ran into trouble in the seventh. Realmuto’s 12th home run of the season sneaked over the wall in right-center. Alec Bohm walked and Torreyes hit his fifth home run on the first pitch he saw.

MARLINS 5, METS 4 Newly acquired Alex Jackson hit his first career home run, Nick Neidert earned his first big-league win and Miami beat National League East-leading New York.

BRAVES 6, CARDINALS 1 Freddie Freeman and Atlanta hammered Jon Lester in his first start for St. Louis, scoring five runs in the first inning and cruising to a victory. Lester (3-6) allowed the first seven hitters to reach and did not record an out until his 27th pitch. He gave up 9 hits and 6 runs over 5 innings.

ROCKIES 13, CUBS 6 Elias Diaz hit a grand slam, Kyle Freeland got his first win in more than a month and Colorado beat Chicago. Freeland (26) pitched five innings and earned his first win since June 28 before being removed with a left foot contusion. Sam Hilliard also homered and C.J. Cron had three hits and three RBI for the Rockies.

PIRATES 8, BREWERS 5 (10) Gregory Polanco hit an RBI single in the 10th inning and scored on Bryan Reynolds’ two-run single later in the inning to give Pittsburgh a victory over Milwaukee.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

YANKEES 13, ORIOLES 1 Luis Gil pitched six scoreless innings in his major-league debut, Giancarlo Stanton hit a home run and drove in four runs, and New York routed Baltimore. Gil (10) allowed just 4 singles, struck out 6 and walked 1 batter.

BLUE JAYS 7, INDIANS 2 Hyun Jin Ryu pitched seven solid innings in his first start for Toronto on Canadian soil, George Springer and Teoscar Hernandez hit home runs and the Blue Jays beat Cleveland.

TIGERS 4, RED SOX 2 Miguel Cabrera hit his 498th home run as Detroit beat Boston. Cabrera added a single, giving him 2,944 career hits and moving him one ahead of Frank Robinson for 36th place all-time.

MARINERS 4, RAYS 2 Yusei Kikuchi went six effective innings, Abraham Toro and Jarred Kelenic hit home runs and Seattle beat Tampa Bay. Kikuchi (7-6) allowed two runs and six hits.

WHITE SOX 7, ROYALS 1 Dylan Cease allowed 1 hit and matched a career-high with 11 strikeouts in 6 scoreless innings for Chicago in a victory against Kansas City.

ANGELS 11, RANGERS 3 Jo Adell hit a two-run double in the third inning and had an RBI single in the seventh, finishing 3 for 4 with 3 RBI to lead Los Angeles over Texas.

INTERLEAGUE

TWINS 7, REDS 5 Jorge Polanco delivered a go-ahead, three-run home run in the ninth inning, lifting Minnesota to a victory over Cincinnati.