Long ball helps Phillies stop bleeding with huge win over Blue Jays

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TORONTO — The Phillies flashed plenty of power in pulling out an 8-3 win Sunday afternoon over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

The victory allowed the Phillies to salvage one of the three games in the series. The Phils finished their road trip to Washington and Toronto with just two wins in six games. They return home Monday night for another three-game series with the Nationals, who twice overcame three-run deficits to beat the Phillies last week in Washington.

The Phillies, who entered Sunday trailing the first-place Atlanta Braves by three games in the NL East, are 70-60. Sunday’s win was just their second in the last eight games.

The Phillies blew a 5-0 lead in losing Saturday’s game, 8-6, to the Blue Jays. The Phils jumped out to another 5-0 lead in Sunday’s game and this time, they did not let it get away.

Starter Vince Velasquez pitched five innings, allowed three hits and two runs, and relievers Luis Garcia, Hector Neris, Tommy Hunter and Seranthony Dominguez did the rest with four innings of one-run ball. Hunter allowed the only run on a solo homer by Randal Grichuk in the eighth. Dominguez had a rough day Saturday and manager Gabe Kapler clearly used him as a confidence-building exercise. Dominguez looked good. He struck out two and induced a pop up to end the game.

Both of the runs that Velasquez gave up came in the third inning on a two-run homer by Kendrys Morales. He has gone deep in seven straight games.

Offensively, the Phillies rode the power bats of Rhys Hoskins, Carlos Santana, Maikel Franco and Wilson Ramos.

Ramos had four hits — two singles, a double and a two-run homer — and three RBIs. He is 12 for 25 with seven extra-base hits and eight RBIs in six games with his new club. Ramos has battled a sore hamstring and a sore wrist. He needs to stay healthy and in the lineup the rest of the way if the Phils are going to stay in contention.

Hoskins and Santana clubbed back-to-back homers against Jays’ starter Marco Estrada in the first inning and Franco smacked a two-run shot in the third on his 26th birthday.

Hoskins has 26 homers, Santana 19 and Franco 22.

Ramos’ first homer with the Phils capped a three-run rally in the eighth inning.

Notes

• Roman Quinn did not play because of a tender hamstring. Details here.

• The Phillies have concluded interleague play. They went 12-8. Interleague play has been around for 22 seasons. The Phillies have had a winning record just eight times.

• Here are the pitching matchups for the series against the Nationals:

Monday night – RHP Zach Eflin (9-4, 3.93) vs. RHP Stephen Strasburg (6-7, 4.23)

Tuesday night – RHP Aaron Nola (15-3, 2.13) vs. RHP Max Scherzer (16-6, 2.13)

Wednesday night – RHP Jake Arrieta (9-9, 3.37) vs. LHP Gio Gonzalez (7-11, 4.35)

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