“Fastball, right down the middle”, said Franco, who hit a 1-1 offering.
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Michael Mariot (1-0) earned the victory by pitching a scoreless inning in relief. Bryant hit a solo homer off Blaine Boyer in the sixth and added an RBI single in the eighth off Corey Knebel.
With one out and a runner at second in the bottom of the second, Utley threw a potential double-play ball wide of second, putting runners at second and third.
Ramon Cabrera hit a three-run homer, Dan Straily continued his second-half surge and host Cincinnati made it eight wins in 10 series since the All-Star break with a victory over Miami. With the familiar strains of Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir blaring through Citizens Bank Park, catcher Cameron Rupp and home plate umpire Ron Kulpa stepped out of the batter’s circle to give Utley the full spotlight that he deserved in his return as the Philadelphia fans saluted Utley with almost 90-seconds of standing applause to welcome him back.
Jeanmar Gomez pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 32nd save in 35 opportunities.
Grandal’s one-out solo homer, his 20th, off the scoreboard in right in the fourth inning made it 4-1.
Kris Bryant homered twice, doubled and drove in five runs while going 5 for 5 and Chicago overcame a career-high seven walks by Jake Arrieta to beat Milwaukee for a four-game sweep.
It was somewhat ironic that Howard, a longtime friend and teammate of Utley, would hit his 18th home run in the bottom of the inning, making it a 13-4 game.
“He’s been swinging the bat as well as I’ve seen him in a long time”, Mackanin said.
The right-hander picked up his first Major League win his last start, allowing three runs in five innings against the Colorado Rockies. Second baseman Cesar Hernandez also went 2 for 4 and has reached base in a career-high 23 straight games.
In Phoenix, Noah Syndergaard earned his first victory in seven starts, helping himself with a two-run homer, and NY ended a string of four consecutive losses to Arizona in the past week.
Utley played twelve seasons for the Philadelphia Philles, before accepting a trade to the Dodgers past year.
Philadelphia has homered in 12 straight games for the first time since 2013. Those cheers came after fans greeted him with a 1½-minute ovation before he struck out leading off the top of the first. The problem with a bracket supporting protective netting in front of the scoreboard was to be corrected after the game, the team said. Norris (mid-back strain) has been idle since August 1.
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In Velasquez’s first full season as a starter, he’s compiled a 3.74 xFIP, 1.36 WHIP and 27.31 strikeout percentage. RHP Adam Wainwright (9-7, 4.72) starts for St. Louis.
