Phillies end season-worst skid with win over Brewers

[June 04, 2016]  PHILADELPHIA -- It was "a good all-around day," Philadelphia Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp said, for him and his team.

Andres Blanco hit a three-run homer and Rupp added a solo shot as the Phillies beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 on Friday night, snapping a season-worst seven-game losing streak.

Rupp also doubled and scored for the Phillies, whose 167 runs entering the game were the second-lowest total in the majors. They managed just 12 during their skid, and Friday's output was their greatest since their last victory, an 8-5 defeat of Detroit on May 25.

"Any time we score six runs, it's a big deal around here," manager Pete Mackanin said. "I'm hoping it's going to loosen us up a little bit."

Blanco, 1-for-4 in the game, made just his fourth start of the season at shortstop in place of Freddy Galvis, who was given a day off. Rupp, who went 2-for-2 with a walk, set a career high with two extra-base hits and hit safely for the 10th time in his last 13 games.

"I got some pitches up in the zone and drove them," he said.

Andrew Bailey (3-0) earned the victory by pitching 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of an ineffective Vince Velasquez.

Jeanmar Gomez, the last of five Philadelphia pitchers, worked a perfect ninth for his National League-leading 18th save in 19 opportunities.

Jonathan Villar homered for Milwaukee, which saw an eight-game winning streak in Philadelphia end. The Brewers also lost for the first time in five road games.

Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson (5-4) lasted just four innings, his shortest outing of the season, and surrendered six runs and seven hits while striking out one and walking three.

"That game could be totally different if I just execute a couple of pitches," he said.

Instead he consistently fell behind hitters, throwing just 34 strikes among his 63 offerings. He noted that the Brewers knocked Velasquez out after just 4 1/3 innings, and that Milwaukee's bullpen worked four hitless innings.

"Pretty much it was just me that didn't hold up my part of the job today," Nelson said.

Velasquez needed 94 pitches (57 strikes) to slog through his abbreviated outing, allowing two runs and four hits while striking out six and walking three. Friday's game came on the heels of a road loss to the Chicago Cubs in which he surrendered seven runs and nine hits over 4 2/3 innings, and it was the fourth straight start in which he failed to last more five innings.

He stalked off the mound when Mackanin removed him Friday.

"I didn't like the way he gave me the ball," Mackanin said. "We talked afterwards and we're cool. I didn't want to take him out with a lead in the fifth nor did he want to come out, but sometimes it happens."

Velasquez admitted he was frustrated.

"Who wants to be taken out of the game?" he said. "But I have to hand the ball over."

Rupp, leading off the third, lined Nelson's 2-0 fastball into the seats in right field, his third homer of the season. Maikel Franco and Jimmy Paredes added RBI singles later in the inning, making it 3-0.

Blanco then followed a double by Rupp and a walk to Odubel Herrera in the fourth with his second homer of the season, putting Philadelphia ahead 6-0.

The Brewers loaded the bases with none out in the fifth, then pushed across a run on Villar's sacrifice fly. After Velasquez walked Scooter Gennett to re-load the bases, he was lifted in favor of Andrew Bailey.

Bailey allowed a run on Ryan Braun's infield bouncer, making it 6-2, but avoided further trouble.

Villar, a former Phillies farmhand, lofted a fly ball off the left-field foul pole in the seventh for his fourth homer of the season, and his second in as many nights.

NOTES: RHP Jacob Barnes made his major league debut for the Brewers, working a perfect inning in relief. ... In light of the Phillies' offensive struggles, manager Pete Mackanin was asked before the game about promising minor leaguers like OF Nick Williams (.274 at Triple-A Lehigh Valley entering Friday), OF Dylan Cozens (.284, 14 homers, 44 RBIs at Double-A Reading) and OF Roman Quinn (.281, 24 steals at Reading). "We don't want to rush them," Mackanin said. "Because we're starving for offense we don't want to just throw these guys into the fire. We've got to just hold down the fort." ... Milwaukee reinstated RF Domingo Santana (right shoulder strain) from the disabled list and sent Keon Broxton to Triple-A Colorado Springs. Santana went 1-for-4 and threw a runner out at the plate in the first inning. ... The Brewers also traded minor league LHP Jed Bradley to Atlanta for a player to be named later. ... The teams wore 1970s retro uniforms.

[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.