Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto and Trea Turner each blasted solo homers in the first three innings Tuesday night as the visiting Philadelphia Phillies held on for a 4-3 win over the San Diego Padres.
Given that kind of early support, Aaron Nola (3-4) cruised through six innings, allowing three hits and two runs with no walks and five strikeouts. Over the last five games, or one complete turn through its rotation, Philadelphia starters have yielded only four runs in 32 2/3 innings.
Randy Vasquez (5-3) endured his second straight ineffective outing, permitting four runs on eight hits and a walk in 5 2/3 innings while fanning two. It was the third straight loss for San Diego.
Vasquez experienced frightful difficulties early finishing off innings. After getting two outs on five pitches to start the first inning, he left a slider over the inside corner to Harper, who lined it an estimated 361 feet into the right field seats for his 13th homer.
Realmuto made it 2-0 in the second when he pounced on a breaking ball down and in to rip his second homer of the season into the second level of the Western Metal Supply building with two outs.
And after Vasquez got the first two outs of the third, Turner belted a 434-foot shot over the left field wall, his sixth. The Phillies tacked on another run in the inning via an RBI single by Alec Bohm.
Nola mowed down the first 11 men he faced until Gavin Sheets reached on an infield single in the fourth. Manny Machado promptly sliced the lead in half, lining his ninth homer of the year into the first row of the left field bleachers.
Ramon Laureano cracked a leadoff homer off reliever Brad Keller in the eighth to bring San Diego within a run. Pressing the issue, the Padres put the tying and go-ahead runs on with two outs before Keller induced a check-swing groundout from Machado.
Jhoan Duran breezed through San Diego in the ninth, striking out the last two hitters for his 11th save.
