Red Sox defeat Phillies behind two Vazquez homers
Christian Vazquez socked a grand slam and a solo homer for a career-high five RBIs to lead the visiting Boston Red Sox to a 6-3 victory over the fading Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.
Andrew Benintendi added two hits and scored two runs for Boston.
Red Sox starter Rick Porcello (13-12) was effective in five innings, allowing five hits and two runs while striking out six and walking one.
Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save for the Red Sox, who improved to 79-70 and won their third in a row.
Rhys Hoskins homered among his two hits for the Phillies, who dropped their second straight. Cesar Hernandez also had two hits for Philadelphia, which fell to 76-72 and four games behind the Chicago Cubs for the second wild-card berth in the National League.
Phillies starter Jason Vargas lasted only three innings and gave up three hits and five runs, four earned. Vargas (6-8) threw 71 pitches, 38 for strikes.
The Red Sox loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the first inning and J.D. Martinez lofted a sacrifice fly to right field for a 1-0 lead.
Hoskins blasted a solo homer to left in the second to tie it up. It was his 28th of the season.
In the third, Vazquez ripped his first career grand slam off Vargas for a 5-1 advantage.
In the bottom of the fourth, Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper and manager Gabe Kapler were both ejected by home plate umpire Gabe Morales for arguing balls and strikes.
Hernandez hit an RBI single to right in the fifth to close within 5-2.
Vazquez stroked his second homer of the game, a solo shot in the sixth to left, for a 6-2 lead. It was the first career multi-homer game for Vazquez, who became the first Boston catcher to record at least two homers and five RBIs in a game since Jason Varitek in 2001.
Jean Segura singled home Hoskins from second in the sixth to slice the lead to 6-3.
--Field Level Media
