Luis Severino kept the Athletics within striking distance for most of the night. The offense, however, never broke through against Cristopher Sánchez, and the bullpen collapsed late in a 9-1 loss to the Phillies on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park.
The Athletics managed just four hits and went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Meanwhile, Philadelphia collected 14 hits and scored eight runs over its final two offensive innings.
Severino settles in
Severino battled through traffic early and gave the Athletics a chance.
The Phillies loaded the bases in the first, but Severino escaped without damage. Then, in the second, he stranded two more runners after Bryson Stott doubled and Alec Bohm walked.
Bryce Harper finally broke through in the third. He launched a solo homer to right-center for a 1-0 Phillies lead.
Still, Severino kept the game close. He finished five innings and allowed one run on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
Sánchez shuts down the lineup
The Athletics could not solve Sánchez.
The Phillies left-hander carried a shutout into the ninth and struck out 10 across eight dominant innings. He allowed only three hits and walked one.
The Athletics finally created their best chance in the seventh.
Colby Thomas and Zack Gelof opened the inning with singles to put runners at first and second with nobody out. However, Sánchez responded by striking out Tyler Soderstrom before Austin Wynns grounded out and Darell Hernaiz struck out swinging.
At that point, the Phillies still led only 1-0.
Seventh inning breaks it open
Philadelphia blew the game open in the bottom of the seventh.
Trea Turner doubled to start the inning, and after a wild pitch moved him to third, Adolis García lifted a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
Soon after, Brandon Marsh singled and J.T. Realmuto lined a two-run double into left field. Then Bryson Stott capped the rally with a two-run homer to right-center.
The five-run inning pushed the lead to 6-0.
Harper finishes it off
The Phillies added three more runs in the eighth.
Turner drove in one with a single before Harper crushed his second homer of the night, a two-run shot to center. Harper finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two home runs.
Meanwhile, Marsh added three hits, and Realmuto and Stott each drove in two runs.
The Athletics avoided the shutout in the ninth when Darell Hernaiz drew a bases-loaded walk against Jhoan Duran.
Up next
The Athletics continue their series in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Jeffrey Springs is scheduled to face Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
