Bryce Harper launches grand slam as Phillies cruise to 10-1 win over Blue Jays

PHILADELPHIA — José Berríos entered Tuesday’s game with an MLB-leading 1.44 ERA. By the time the Blue Jays starter walked off the mound, that number had ballooned to 2.85, thanks to a Phillies lineup that did not contain Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm.

Turner is on the injured list with a left hamstring strain. Realmuto and Bohm had a scheduled day off. It didn’t matter. The Phillies crushed one of the best pitchers in the sport without them.

Berríos didn’t even make it through the fourth inning. The Phillies had worked him to 90 pitches through 3 2/3, and when Bryce Harper stepped up to the plate, with the bases loaded, and connected with a slider/curveball down in the zone, it was over. The ball went over the right field wall. It was his third home run in as many days, and the eighth grand slam of his career.

Berríos exited the game after that, with his team down 8-0, en route to an 10-1 win. It wasn’t a surprising outcome, given how Harper has been hitting of late. The Phillies have been waiting for their first baseman to get hot, and it appears he has gotten hot. Harper went 3 for 3 on Tuesday night, and is slashing .381/.567/.810 over his last seven games with 10 RBIs.

After he jogged around the bases, Harper greeted his teammates in the dugout. Kody Clemens was waiting for him at the very end. They gave each other a hug and shared a laugh. Clemens, who was recalled from Lehigh Valley on May 4, was two hits away from the cycle. Of the 10 runs the Phillies scored on Tuesday night, Clemens had driven in four, with a two-run home run in the second, an RBI triple in the fourth, and an RBI groundout in the eighth.

It is often difficult for a hitter to produce immediately when he’s shuffling between Triple-A and the big leagues, but Clemens has found a way. He hit a home run in his first big league game of the season on April 22, was sent down to Triple-A, and hit another on Tuesday night. Part of this is feeling more comfortable around the team, but he has also benefited from some work he did with hitting coach Kevin Long over the winter.

“Just trying to see the ball,” Clemens said in late April. “Start my load earlier. Be quiet with my leg kick or step or whatever you want to call it. See the ball and have good plate discipline. And try to put a good swing when the ball is in the zone. Being confident and staying with my plan.

“We talked about minimizing some things. Just to make my swing and stance more simple. It wasn’t anything major. But just kind of cleaning up some things and making sure I’m ready to hit.”

It was a good night for the Phillies, all around. Utility man Whit Merrifield and right fielder Nick Castellanos both recorded a hit and have quietly been heating up lately. Castellanos’ hit was an RBI double in the first to put the Phillies on the board. Bryson Stott went 2 for 4 with two runs, and Edmundo Sosa hit an RBI triple in the eighth.

Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez struggled with his command and control early, but found his grove as he went deeper into the game. He finished his night at seven innings pitched, allowing one earned run on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

Right-handed pitcher Spencer Turnbull pitched the last two innings, allowing one walk. It was Turnbull’s first appearance out of the bullpen for the Phillies, after making six starts in April and May while Taijuan Walker was on the injured list.

The Phillies are now 26-11. Tuesday marked their seventh straight win.