Blue Jays 8, Phillies 5
PHILADELPHIA -- Third baseman Josh Donaldson hit two homers and drove in four runs as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Philadelphia Phillies 8-5 on Tuesday night.
Donaldson, who went 3-for-4 in the game, put the Jays ahead to stay with a three-run shot off Philadelphia reliever Jeanmar Gomez in Toronto's five-run sixth inning. That raised Donaldson's home run total for the season to 33.
It was Donaldson's third multi-homer game of the season, and the sixth of his career.
First baseman Edwin Encarnacion also homered in the sixth for the Jays, who won for the 16th time in 19 games. They lead the American League wild-card race.
Right fielder Jeff Francoeur hit his 11th homer of the season for the Phillies, who lost for the sixth time in seven games.
Philadelphia led 5-3 through five innings, but ex-Phillie Ben Revere, Toronto's center fielder, led off the sixth with a walk off reliever Elvis Araujo. He moved up on a bunt by pinch hitter Cliff Pennington, one that was not ruled a sacrifice, and scored when another pinch hitter, Chris Colabello, grounded a single through the middle off Gomez (1-3).
Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki followed with another single, and Donaldson hit Gomez's 3-0 fastball into the seats in left field, giving Toronto a 7-5 lead.
One out later, Encarnacion also homered. It was his 22nd of the season.
Toronto reliever Liam Hendriks (4-0) earned the victory by pitching a scoreless inning in relief. Roberto Osuna, the last of six Jays pitchers, worked the ninth for his 14th save.
Phillies starter Aaron Nola went five innings and allowed three runs and four hits. The rookie right-hander struck out five and walked four, his highest total in six major league starts.
Toronto starter R.A. Dickey yielded five runs and nine hits in four innings. He struck out two and walked two. It was the first time in 21 games a Blue Jays starter allowed more than three earned runs.
Donaldson hit a one-out solo homer off Nola in the first. The last five have come in the first inning, and Donaldson has hit 10 in that inning in all.
Francoeur knotted it with a leadoff homer to center in the second, but in the third Nola walked the based loaded, setting the stage for a two-run single by left fielder Ezequiel Carrera. That gave Toronto a 3-1 lead.
A two-out RBI single by Phillies third baseman Cesar Hernandez cut the gap to 3-2 in the bottom of the third, and Philadelphia scored twice in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead. A two-out RBI single by Cody Asche deliver the inning's first run, and shortstop Freddy Galvis followed with a run-scoring triple.
The Phillies added a run in the fifth when Francoeur grounded into a double play with the bases loaded.
NOTES: Before the game, the Phillies placed 3B Maikel Franco on the 15-day disabled list with what general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. described as a "very small non-displaced fracture" of a small bone on the outside of his left wrist. Franco, hitting .277 with 13 homers and 48 RBIs in 77 games, was struck by a pitch from Arizona RHP Jeremy Hellickson on Aug. 11, and sat out four games. Amaro said normal recovery time for such an injury is two to four weeks, and did not rule out Franco missing the rest of the season. ... The Phillies recalled OF Aaron Altherr from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to fill Franco's roster spot. ... When asked about a potential trade of 2B Chase Utley, Amaro said, "There's no mandate to move him and there's no mandate to keep him. We'll stay open-minded." ...Toronto selected the contract of OF Ezequiel Carrera from Triple-A Buffalo before the game, replacing LHP Aaron Loup, who was optioned to Buffalo on Sunday.