Castellanos powers Phillies to 8-4 win over Blue Jays
By Kevin Cooney, The Associated Press on May 9, 2023.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Nick Castellanos went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-4 on Tuesday night. Aaron Nola (3-2) allowed two runs on five hits over six innings to win his third straight decision. Brandon Marsh had a two-run double in the eighth inning and Alec Bohm had two hits for the Phillies, who have won two straight after snapping a six-game skid. Bo Bichette hit his eighth homer of the season for Toronto, which had swept a three-game set at Pittsburgh over the weekend. Alek Manoah (1-3) allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings, throwing 94 pitches and getting only three swing-and-miss strikes. Castellanos struggled in the first year of his five-year, $100 million contract with Philadelphia in 2022. His batting average dropped from .309 in 2021 with Cincinnati to .263, and he hit only 13 homers a year after hitting 34. He has looked like his old self thus far this year. His batting average (.317) and slugging and on-base percentages are up substantially. Castellanos turned on a fourth-inning fastball from Manoah and deposited it just inside the left-field foul pole for his fifth homer of the season, a two-run shot that put Philadelphia ahead 2-1. Bryson Stott, Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto and Edmundo Sosa also drove in runs for the Phillies. Kevin Kiermaier had two hits and scored twice for Toronto. TRAINER’S ROOM Blue Jays: OF George Springer was not in the lineup with a viral illness. He pinch-hit for Daulton Varsho in the seventh inning and struck out. … RHP Adam Cimber threw a bullpen session Tuesday as he recovers from a right rhomboid strain that placed him on the injured list on April 24. Phillies: OF Kyle Schwarber left the game with a left foot contusion after he fouled a ball off it in the sixth inning. X-rays were negative. … RHP Ranger Suarez will make his first major league start of 2023 this weekend in Colorado, manager Rob Thomson said. Suarez – projected as Philadelphia’s No. 3 starter – has been sidelined since the last week of spring training with a left elbow strain. … Andrew Painter, the organization’s top pitching prospect, was seen by doctors and continued his throwing program in Philadelphia. Painter was shut down after his first spring training start with a UCL strain in his right arm. UP NEXT The teams wrap up their two-game series on Wednesday. The Phillies will start RHP Zack Wheeler (3-2, 4.26 ERA) against Toronto RHP Kevin Gausman (2-3, 3.86). — AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports 16-15
