Franco collects 5 RBIs as Phillies batter Yankees
NEW YORK - The Maikel Franco Show at Yankee Stadium continued Tuesday night, albeit with half the hits and half the home runs as the night before. That hardly mattered, though, when the Phillies' hot-hitting rookie third baseman smoked a ninth-inning breaking ball down the third-base line.
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NEW YORK - The Maikel Franco Show at Yankee Stadium continued Tuesday night, albeit with half the hits and half the home runs as the night before. That hardly mattered, though, when the Phillies' hot-hitting rookie third baseman smoked a ninth-inning breaking ball down the third-base line.
A night after launching two home runs and driving in five runs, Franco hit another and incredibly drove in five more. His ninth-inning double off the seldom-hit Dellin Betances drove in the go-ahead runs in the Phillies' 11-6 win over the New York Yankees.
Franco is the first Phillies player to ever record back-to-back five RBI games, at least since the stat became official in 1920. The 22-year-old Dominican enters Wednesday afternoon's series finale with six hits — four for extra bases — in eight at-bats in his first two career games in the Bronx. He muscled out a three-run homer in the fourth inning of Tuesday's game, which started late because of an 81-minute rain delay.
"I don't even know," Franco said, smiling, when asked the last time he felt this confident at the plate. "I'm just like locked in right now and I'm just in a good moment."
Franco's three-run home run and two-run double each came in five-run innings, the Phillies' biggest frames of the season. The win clinched their first road series win of the year. They have scored 31 runs over their last three games and at least nine in three consecutive games for the first time since July 2006.
The Phillies came into Wednesday riding their first three-game winning streak since they won six consecutive games from May 13 to 18.
Franco's 10th home run of the season, to the opposite field in right off CC Sabathia, gave the Phillies a three-run lead, which starter Sean O'Sullivan and Elvis Araujo combined to give back an inning later.
O'Sullivan surrendered four home runs, each solo shots, over 4 1/3 innings, the last of which was Alex Rodriguez's 15th of the season and the 669th of his career. The outing marked the second time this season O'Sullivan has allowed four homers in a game. The 27-year-old righthander has surrendered 14 for the season over 60 2/3 innings.
The bats bailed out O'Sullivan, however. Continuing his torrid June, Franco became the first Phillies rookie to reach 10 home runs in 37 or fewer games since Buzz Arlett in 1933. He has 29 RBIs over 37 games since his May
The Phillies tagged Sabathia, whose ERA reached 5.65, for six runs and eight hits, including two home runs, and chased the 34-year-old lefthander after only 4 2/3 innings. In the fourth, Cameron Rupp smacked his first major-league home run, a two-run shot into the visitors' bullpen.
The Yankees' bullpen held the Phillies hitless until the ninth. The Phillies' relievers more than held their own, too, by throwing up zeros. Jeanmar Gomez worked out of a jam in the sixth and Luis Garcia did the same in the seventh to keep the Phillies in the game. Ken Giles struck out the side in the eighth.
Ben Revere's double to lead off the ninth signified the Phillies' first hit off the Yankees' relief corps. It came against Betances, a 6-foot-8 righthander who had been nearly unhittable this season. His personal nine-game winning streak to begin his career matched Whitey Ford's franchise record set in 1950. Betances entered Tuesday night with an incredible 0.26 ERA. The Phillies raised it to 1.25.
Another Phillies win, another big night for their youngest player.
"I want to preserve the moment," Franco said. "I want to have fun."
Utley on DL
The Phillies placed Chase Utley on the 15-day disabled list with right ankle inflammation and recalled Darin Ruf from Lehigh Valley.
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