Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Jimmy Rollins and Ben Francisco each had three hits and drove in two runs behind another efficient start by Jamie Moyer, as the Phillies took the rubber match of a three-game series against the Blue Jays, 11-2, at Citizens Bank Park.
Moyer (9-6) lasted seven innings and gave up just two runs on six hits. Though he did set the major league record for most career home runs allowed, the ageless left-hander struck out seven compared to no walks en route to his third straight victory.
Shane Victorino went 3-for-5, scored twice and had an RBI for the Phillies, who pushed across six unearned runs to win for the fifth time in six games.
Brett Cecil (7-5) surrendered seven runs — five earned — on 10 hits and a walk in 4 2/3 innings. The left-hander has yielded 18 runs — 16 earned — in three starts following a personal five-game winning streak.
Vernon Wells went 2-for-3 and upped his home run total to 19 with a two-run shot for Toronto, which committed four errors in its fifth loss in seven games.
“We didn’t give [Cecil] any support in terms of defense,” Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said. “We certainly lost as a team today.”
The Phillies scored four in the second frame to go in front for good. Ryan Howard walked leading off, moved to second on Victorino’s single and scored on Francisco’s base hit to left. Cecil retired the next two hitters, but Dane Sardinha, in his second start this season, plated a pair with a double to the left field wall and came around on Rollins’ bloop to right.
The Blue Jays loaded the bases with one out in the bottom half, but Moyer struck out Jose Molina and got Jarrett Hoffpauir on a weak popout to third.
With a runner on second in the third, Moyer hung a breaking ball to Wells, who sent the offering into the left field seats to cut Toronto’s deficit in half. The homer was the 506th allowed by Moyer in his 24-year career, moving him past former Phillies great Robin Roberts for the most in MLB history.
Aaron Hill dropped a possible double-play exchange in the fourth, and the Phillies took advantage of the prolonged inning with consecutive run-scoring hits by Rollins and Chase Utley.
Back-to-back doubles from Howard and Victorino made it 7-2 in the fifth, and more shoddy fielding by the “home team” in the seventh made it a blowout.
Francisco’s one-out two-bagger off Jason Frasor scored Howard, who reached on an Alex Gonzalez throwing error. With the bases loaded later in the inning, Hill tried to turn two but threw the ball away, allowing two runners to score. A Sardinha comebacker to the mound had Raul Ibanez caught between third and home, but Frasor’s errant throw plated the runner for an 11-2 score.
“We want to stay hot going into the All Star break,” Howard said.
This series was shifted to Philadelphia due to security concerns surrounding the city of Toronto’s hosting of world leaders for the G20 Summit…Moyer, MLB’s active wins leader at 267, became the 40th pitcher to reach the 4,000 innings pitched mark. The 47-year-old has allowed two runs or fewer in five of his last six outings…The Phillies finished 10-8 in interleague play, while the Blue Jays were 7-11 against the Senior Circuit…Phillies third baseman Placido Polanco missed a second straight game with discomfort in his left elbow.