Herrera hits RBI single in 10th, Phils avoid sweep in Miami

MIAMI (AP) — Odúbel Herrera hit an RBI single in the 10th inning and the Philadelphia Phillies averted a three-game sweep, beating the Miami Marlins 4-3 Sunday.

Bryce Harper hit his 27th home run and Freddy Galvis also connected for the playoff-chasing Phillies.

Herrera had been 0 for 4 before driving in automatic runner Freddy Galvis from second with his hit off Dylan Floro (5-6).

“I faced that guy last night, so I knew to look for something middle in. I got the pitch I wanted,” Herrera said. “Everybody’s excited now. We just have to continue to stay positive.”

Ian Kennedy (1-0) pitched two scoreless and struck out four.

“I knew Ian was fresh coming in,” Phillies manager Joe Girardi said. “You don’t plan to use your closer two innings, but he had a quick (ninth) and I felt he was pretty rested.”

Girardi knew Kennedy had the poise to handle the extra workload.

“You know he’s not going to get rattled, you know he’s not going to beat himself,” Girardi said. “He’s a competitor.”

Miami tied it at 3 with an unearned run in the sixth inning. Jazz Chisholm Jr. reached on an error by first baseman Brad Miller and later scored on Bryan De La Cruz’s grounder.

After managing only one walk in the first three innings against Miami starter Elieser Hernandez, the Phillies’ broke loose in the fourth. Harper homered, and Galvis hit a two-run drive for a 3-1 lead.

Harper, who enjoyed a surge at the plate in August, began the day with only a single in eight at-bats in the first two games of the series.

Despite losing the series after coming to Miami riding a six-game winning streak, Harper feels the team can go to Milwaukee with confidence.

”“We didn’t play well at all, myself included, but it’s time to put this series behind us,”...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Herrera-hits-RBI-single-in-10th-Phils-avoid-16437532.php