Nola, Phillies Get Stomped By Blue Jays, 13-2
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — J.A. Happ allowed three hits and an unearned run in seven innings and the Toronto Blue Jays hit five home runs in a 13-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday night.
Happ (8-3) struck out five in improving to 4-0 against his former team. It was the Blue Jays' third straight win over the Phillies and they have outscored them 31-7 in those game.
Kevin Pillar hit two homers and Edwin Encarnacion, Michael Saunders and Devon Travis added one apiece for the Blue Jays, who set season marks with the five homers and 17 hits.
Encarnacion hit his sixth homer in as many games and his 18th of the season in the first inning against Phillies starter Aaron Nola (5-6). Encarnacion has eight home runs and 21 RBIs in June.
Pillar, who was 3 for 5 with three RBIs, homered in the seventh and eighth innings.
Nola followed up his shortest career outing in his last start with an even shorter one Thursday. The Phillies ace lasted just three innings plus four batters. He allowed eight hits and eight runs (six earned) to go with three walks and five strikeouts. He has allowed 15 hits in his last 6 2/3 innings.
Toronto led 8-0 after four innings.
Every Blue Jays starter recorded a hit as Toronto outhit the Phillies 17-5.
STANDINGS
The Phillies (30-37) are a season-high seven games under .500. The Blue Jays (38-31) won their seventh series in their last nine. They are 19-8 since May 19, the second-highest winning percentage over that span behind Texas.
EARLY EXIT
Toronto RF Jose Bautista was removed from the game in the bottom of the seventh inning after colliding with the outfield wall on a double by Cameron Rupp. Bautista, who was 1 for 4 with an RBI, limped off the field with the help of a trainer. He is listed as "day-to-day" with left big toe soreness. Precautionary X-rays were to be taken.
SUSPENDED
Phillies pitcher Alec Asher was suspended 80 games on Thursday after testing positive for PEDs. Asher, 24, was on the Triple-A DL rehabbing a shin fracture at the time of his suspension. Asher, ranked No. 26 in the Philadelphia system, according to MLB.com, is the second pitcher in the Phillies organization to receive an 80-game suspension for PED use in 2016. The other, Daniel Stumpf, was with the big club when he was suspended on April 14. Each tested positive for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone, an anabolic steroid.
STREAKING
Tommy Joseph, the Phillies' new "everyday" first baseman with Ryan Howard relegated to mostly a bench role, snapped an 0-for-17 skid with a second-inning double.
Blue Jays 3B Josh Donaldson extended his on-base streak to 21 games with his first-inning single. Minnesota 1B Joe Mauer entered Thursday with the longest active on-base streak (26) in the majors.
UP NEXT
RHP Aaron Sanchez (6-1, 3.38 ERA) takes the mound Friday for Toronto in Baltimore against RHP Mike Wright (3-3, 5.31). Philadelphia starts a four-game series with Arizona on Friday, sending LHP Adam Morgan (1-5, 6.33) against LHP Robbie Ray (3-5, 4.57).
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