Phillies 7, Blue Jays 4
PHILADELPHIA -- Amid reports that one of Philadelphia's most respected veterans was about to be traded, two rookies came to the fore for the Phillies on Wednesday night.
Left-hander Adam Morgan pitched seven strong innings and left fielder Aaron Altherr homered and drove in three runs as Philadelphia beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-4.
Altherr went 2-for-3 for his first major league hits and RBIs. Recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday, he was 0-for-7 in three games, including two last season.
Morgan, who matched the longest outing of his first season, yielded two runs and five hits while striking out three. He didn't walk a batter while improving to 4-4.
Third baseman Andres Blanco and right fielder Jeff Francoeur also homered for Philadelphia, which snapped a four-game losing streak.
There were reports before the game that second baseman Chase Utley, a six-time All-Star in his 13 seasons with the Phillies, was being dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team has yet to confirm those reports, but Utley, who did not play in the game, tipped his cap to the fans as he left the field after congratulating his teammates afterward.
First baseman Edwin Encarnacion homered for Toronto, which lost for only the fourth time in 20 games.
The Blue Jays continue to lead the American League wild-card race, but their loss, coupled with the New York Yankees' 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins, dropped them two games behind the Yankees in the AL East.
Jays starter Mark Buehrle (13-6) saw his four-game winning streak end. Buehrle lasted just four innings, his shortest outing of the year, and gave up four runs and seven hits while striking out two without a walk.
In the first inning, Blanco and center fielder Odubel Herrera lashed consecutive one-out singles and, combined with an error by right fielder Jose Bautista, put runners at first and third.
Francoeur delivered a run with a sacrifice fly and Herrera advanced to second on the throw home by left fielder Ben Revere, a former Phillie.
First baseman Darin Ruf tacked on a run-scoring single and Altherr's RBI double made it 3-0.
In the third, Francoeur hit his 12th homer of the season, a solo shot, with two outs.
The Jays scored twice in the fifth to cut the gap to 4-2. Encarnacion led off with his 23rd homer of the season, extending his career-best hitting streak to 16 games. Second baseman Cliff Pennington drove in a run with a double later in the inning.
Blanco, leading off the bottom of the fifth, lined a 3-2 fastball from reliever Bo Schultz into the seats in right field. With Herrera at third and two outs in the inning, Altherr launched a homer to left, giving the Phillies a 7-2 cushion.
Toronto scored twice against reliever Luis Garcia in the eighth on an error by Philadelphia second baseman Cesar Hernandez and an infield out.
NOTES: Toronto LHP Mark Buehrle began Wednesday night needing to pitch 45 more innings this season to become only the fourth pitcher since 1901 to pitch more than 200 innings in 13 straight seasons. The others are Hall of Famers Gaylord Perry, Warren Spahn and Don Sutton. ... The solo home run by Phillies RF Jeff Francoeur in Tuesday's 8-5 loss to Toronto was his fourth homer in his last eight home games. He was batting .550 during that span. ... Blue Jays RHP Roberto Osuna, who doesn't turn 21 until Feb. 7, posted his 14th save on Tuesday night. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the only pitcher to convert more in a season before turning 21 was Chicago White Sox LHP Terry Forster, who had 29 in 1972.