Nick Castellanos hit a three-run homer as the visiting Philadelphia Phillies edged the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 Friday.
J.T. Realmuto went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI for the Phillies (80-67), who snapped a two-game losing streak.
Phillies starter Aaron Nola allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out one.
Matt Strahm (9-4) retired one batter to earn the victory and Jose Alvarado notched his eighth save.
Philadelphia first baseman Bryce Harper was ejected in the third inning for protesting a called third strike by home plate umpire Alex Tosi.
Zack Thompson (5-6) took the loss after allowing four runs on five hits in five innings for the Cardinals (65-82). He struck out four and walked two.
The Phillies took a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Trea Turner hit a single, went to third base on Alec Bohm’s single, and scored on Harper’s forceout grounder.
Realmuto followed with a single and Castellanos hit his three-run homer.
The Cardinals cut their deficit to 4-2 in the third inning after Lars Nootbaar drew a one-out walk and moved up on Paul Goldschmidt’s infield single. Alec Burleson hit an RBI single, then Goldschmidt and Burleson executed a double steal to set up Nolan Arenado’s RBI single.
St. Louis cut Philadelphia’s lead to 4-3 in the fourth inning. Jordan Walker hit an infield single, moved to third when Tommy Edman reached on a throwing error by Nola, then scored on Masyn Winn’s sacrifice fly.
Arenado and Willson Contreras hit two-out singles in the fifth inning but Matt Strahm relieved Nola and struck out pinch-hitter Tyler O’Neill.
The Phillies pushed their lead to 5-3 in the sixth inning. Edmundo Sosa hit a double and scored on Realmuto’s single.
Craig Kimbrel walked Winn, Nootbaar and Goldschmidt with two outs in in the eighth inning, but he struck out Burleson to escape.
Arenado drew a leadoff walk off Alvarado in the ninth inning and Contreras hit a single. Edman hit a two-out RBI single and Winn walked to load the bases, but Nootbaar struck out to end the game.
–Field Level Media
