Santana, Villar Hit Homers, Brewers Beat Phillies 6-3
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Domingo Santana hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the eighth inning, Jonathan Villar went deep for the third straight game and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 Saturday.
Santana connected off Hector Neris (1-3) leading off the eighth for his fourth homer and first since returning from the disabled list on Friday. Villar had three hits and two RBIs.
Will Smith (1-0) tossed a perfect seventh to earn the win. Tyler Thornburg had a 1-2-3 eighth and Jeremy Jeffress finished for his 15th save in 16 tries.
Tommy Joseph and Cesar Hernandez each hit homers for the Phillies, who have lost eight of nine and 12 of 15.
Scooter Gennett gave the Brewers a three-run cushion in the ninth with a two-out, two-run single off Andrew Bailey.
Joseph homered to straightaway center to tie it at 1 in the second. He has four homers in 53 at-bats since being called up from Triple-A.
After Tyler Goeddel tripled off the wall in left-center, Hernandez drove his first homer of the season out to deep center to give the Phillies a 3-1 lead.
Jonathan Lucroy lined a triple off the foul stripe on the left-field wall to start the fifth. He scored on Chris Carter's sacrifice fly to tie it at 3.
Villar led off with his third homer in the series. He had two homers in 51 games before arriving at hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park on Thursday night.
His RBI single in the fourth cut it to 3-2.
The Brewers had runners on first and third with one out, but Aaron Hill struck out and Ryan Braun bounced out to the pitcher.
Villar reached on an infield single with a headfirst dive into first base to load the bases with two outs in the second. But Hill flied out to end the inning.
Both Villar and Santana began their careers in Philadelphia's organization. Villar was traded to Houston in the deal that brought Roy Oswalt to the Phillies in July 2010. Santana was traded to the Astros a year later in a package for Hunter Pence.
STARTING TIME
Brewers: Junior Guerra allowed three runs and six hits in six innings.
Phillies: Jeremy Hellickson gave up three runs and seven hits in five innings.
SLUMP BUSTED
Philadelphia's Carlos Ruiz snapped an 0-for-21 skid with a single to right in the second.
SECOND TIME'S A CHARM
A fan who dropped a foul ball got one on the next pitch when Ruiz fouled it back to the same spot into the second deck behind the plate.
UP NEXT
RHP Wily Peralta (3-6, 6.51) starts for the Brewers against Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (4-4, 2.88) in the series finale. Peralta is 3-2, 5.83 in five career starts vs. Philadelphia. Nola allowed one run in seven innings to earn a win in his only start vs. Milwaukee on April 22.
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