Phillies hit three home runs in series-opening win over the Pirates

A few hours before Thursday’s game, Phillies manager Rob Thomson was asked what he could do to help his team’s offense.

He didn’t hold back.

“If you don’t think we’re gonna slug, you ain’t watching the games,” Thomson said.

By the end of the night at Citizens Bank Park, his response seemed prophetic. The Phillies entered the game with a streak of 16 straight singles. They ended it with three home runs, a comfortable 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, and a record above .500 at 7-6.

» READ MORE: The Phillies are chasing less but are they being too tentative? ‘There’s something to that.’

“Yeah, I mean, that’s part of our game,” Thomson said. “We really haven’t had it much this year. So, hopefully that continues. It’s going to come and go just like everything else, but it was good to see some guys hit the ball out of the ballpark.”

The top of the lineup didn’t produce the way it’s expected to — hitters No. 1 through 4 went a combined 3-for-16 with one run — but the bottom of the lineup certainly did. Alec Bohm, batting fifth, got the Phillies on the board with a solo shot to center field in the fourth inning — his first home run of the season.

It was somewhat ironic that he was the one to end the Phillies’ singles streak, because the last extra-base hit the team had before Thursday was Bohm’s double in the 10th inning of Monday’s game in St. Louis. He capped his night off with a terrific sliding catch in foul territory to end the game.

In the seventh, the Phillies tacked on more runs. Brandon Marsh hit a two-run home run that was originally ruled a double, because the ball bounced off the left-center field wall and back onto the field. But the call was overturned, and Marsh happily finished his home-run trot.

He did not think it was out.

“Not a chance,” Marsh said. “Not a chance. I’m very thankful — very thankful — but no, not a chance.”

Two at-bats later, Bryson Stott hit another two-run shot, to right-center field, to give the Phillies a 5-0 lead. As was the case with Bohm, it was Stott’s first home run of the year. Stott was 8-for-38 over his previous 12 games, so hitting a ball out of the park was particularly cathartic.

“It feels good, definitely,” he said. “I think after my first at-bat I took another good swing and was just a tick late. And kind of felt like if I was a little out in front, it’s probably a line drive somewhere. Just going back and rewatching that swing and a couple of swings to lefties in St. Louis has helped.

“Like I said, my swing, it feels good. I mean, sometimes when you’re going through little things, the first thing you want to do is change stuff, and [hitting coach] Kevin [Long] was like, ‘We’re not changing a thing. Just stay right there.’ They’re not going to catch every single ball you hit.”

It was not an offensive bombardment, but it was a start. The Phillies finished the day with five runs on seven hits. They took no walks— which broke a different streak: 12 games with three walks or more.

Thomson is hopeful that it will take some weight off the rest of the lineup.

“You take the first inning, first two guys get on,” he said. “[Bryce] Harper hits a rocket to shortstop, J.T. [Realmuto] hits a rocket [to second base] — that’s kind of what we’ve been going through a little bit. But yeah, I think once guys put the ball in the seats, it’s kind of like, ‘Phew, OK, here we go.’”

This was easily Ranger Suárez’s most dominant start of the season. He pitched six innings, allowing just two hits and two walks with eight strikeouts. He threw 97 pitches, 62 for strikes. He did a good job of staying ahead in the count and inducing weak contact.

» READ MORE: Will Spencer Turnbull stay in the pitching rotation when Taijuan Walker returns?

Suárez is coming off his first full spring training in a while and has been feeling the benefits.

“It’s helped me have a better feel for how my pitches are going to work,” he said. “Now that I’ve had a full spring training, I know my pitches better. I have a better feel for what counts to throw them in, what situations to throw them in.”

Added Thomson: “I thought [Suárez] was outstanding. Got ahead. I think he had eight 0-2 counts on hitters. Driving the fastball in on right-handers. All of his stuff was working. He just added and subtracted all night. I thought he was outstanding.”

Suárez has now allowed only three walks through his first three outings. The bullpen followed him Thursday night with three strong innings. Yunior Marte was credited with the hold, pitching one inning, allowing one hit with three strikeouts. Nick Nelson allowed one earned run on four hits over two innings, with three strikeouts.