LDN - Sports

Joseph knocks in three as Phils sweep White Sox

[September 22, 2016] PHILADELPHIA -- Tommy Joseph homered and drove in three runs as the Philadelphia Phillies completed a two-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox with an 8-3 win Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Joseph, who is slowly been taking over the primary duties at first base from veteran Ryan Howard over the course of his rookie season, went 2-for-5 to improve his average to .262 with 21 home runs and 45 RBIs.

Jerad Eickhoff (11-14) went seven innings for the win, giving up three runs on six hits. The right-hander struck out six against just one walk, throwing 93 pitches, 62 strikes.

White Sox ace Chris Sale (16-9) had an unusually rough outing, giving up three runs in the opening frame for the first time since Sep. 3, 2015, a span of 32 starts. He also hit three batters in a game for the first time in his seven-year career, and two of them proved costly.

Sale wound up yielding six runs on seven hits in four innings.

Chicago's Adam Eaton opened the game with a home run off Eickhoff, but Joseph responded in the bottom of the first with an RBI double to left-center. That scored Cesar Hernandez, singled and advanced to second when Sale hit Maikel Franco with a 1-2 pitch.

Cameron Rupp scored Franco and Joseph with a rope of a double down the left-field line to give the Phillies (69-83) a 3-1 lead.

Sale's troubles continued in the third inning, and again some of it was self-inflicted. After he hit Roman Quinn to lead off the inning, the left-hander left a 1-1 slider out over the plate and paid the price, as Joseph ripped a two-run shot to left.

Sale was removed for a pinch hitter in the fifth inning -- his second-shortest of the season and first time in 20 outings he didn't make it through five -- but not before giving up an RBI triple to Hernandez to make it 6-1 in the bottom of the fourth.

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Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco (7) celebrates with first baseman Tommy Joseph (19) after final out against the Chicago White Sox at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies defeated the White Sox, 8-3. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Phillies tacked on two more in the sixth on a two-RBI single by Franco.

Eickhoff settled in nicely after the Eaton home run until in the seventh, when he gave up back-to-back solo home runs to Todd Frazier (his 38th) and Alex Avila (his seventh).

Eaton had three hits for the White Sox (72-80).

NOTES: The Phillies finished above .500 in interleague play (11-9) for the first time since 2011, when they went 9-6. Since the beginning of interleague play in 1997, Philadelphia is just 153-192 (.443), the fourth-worst winning percentage in the Majors. ... During a five-game losing streak, Chicago has been outscored 36-17, scoring three runs or fewer in four of those games. ... The White Sox next travel to Cleveland for a three-game series beginning Friday, while the Phillies go to New York for a four-game series against the Mets starting Thursday.

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