Estrada, Encarnacion lead Jays over Phillies
PHILADELPHIA -- Marco Estrada ran his personal winning streak to four and Edwin Encarnacion homered for the fifth time in as many games as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-2 on Wednesday night.
Josh Donaldson also homered for Toronto, which won for the fifth time in six games, and Ryan Goins and Devon Travis each contributed two hits and two RBIs.
Toronto, 18-8 over its last 26 games, also won for the second time in the first three games of a four-game home-and-home series against Philadelphia.
Cody Asche went 3-for-4 and drove in both of the Phillies' runs, with a solo homer and a double. Philadelphia lost for the sixth time in seven games, and is 6-19 since May 18.
Estrada (5-2) improved to 4-0 with a 2.46 ERA over his last nine starts, going 6 2/3 innings and allowing two runs and four hits while striking out five and walking one.
He retired 11 straight hitters before allowing a two-out single to Cesar Hernandez in the seventh, at which point the Jays' lead was just 4-2. Reliever Jesse Chavez then came on to strike out pinch hitter Ryan Howard.
Philadelphia starter Jeremy Hellickson (4-5) dropped his third straight decision, pitching six innings and allowing four runs and five hits while striking out four and walking three.
Encarnacion led off the second with his 17th homer of the season, hitting Hellickson's 1-2 fastball into the seats in left field.
Asche knotted it with his second homer in the second, but the Jays assumed a 4-1 lead by scoring three times in the fourth.
After walks to Josh Donaldson and Encarnacion and a double steal, Russell Martin chased in a run with a sacrifice fly. One out later, Ryan Goins added an RBI single, and Devon Travis capped the inning with a run-scoring double.
Asche doubled home a run in the fourth, cutting the Toronto lead to 4-2.
Donaldson opened the eighth by homering off reliever Hector Neris, Donaldson's 16th of the season. Goins drove in a run with a groundout later in the inning, and Travis added an RBI single to make it 7-2.
NOTES: Phillies 3B Maikel Franco (sprained right knee) was not in the lineup for the third straight game, and was scheduled to undergo an examination by team doctors that manager Pete Mackanin described as "precautionary." Andres Blanco started in his place. ... Blue Jays OF Michael Saunders, pulled from Tuesday's game against the Phillies with a sore thigh, was not in the starting lineup. ... Toronto, which optioned LHP Aaron Loup to Triple-A Buffalo and designated RHP Scott Diamond for assignment Tuesday, recalled LHP Chad Girodo and INF Andy Burns from Buffalo before Wednesday's game.