Lineup changes paying off for Phillies

NEW YORK - Ryne Sandberg briefly gave everyone a taste of his philosophy in righting the Phillies last July, when he sat a healthy Ryan Howard down for three straight games. The benching was short-lived, however, and the aging, declining team continued to pile up losses, without infiltrating enough youth into a lineup of mid-30-somethings for the final two months of 2014.

Sandberg seems more convicted in his youth movement in Year No.2 on the job.

Cameron Rupp started behind the plate for the fifth time in the last seven games over Carlos Ruiz. Cesar Hernandez made his sixth start at second base in the last nine games, while Chase Utley sat on the bench for the third time in the last five games.

The lineup alterations have paid off.

Hernandez had hits in each of his first three plate appearances, Cameron Rupp launched his first major league home run, and mighty Maikel Franco continued his assault on New York as the Phillies rallied for an 11-6 win over the Yankees.

After Ben Revere led off the ninth inning with a double and Hernandez was hit by a pitch, Franco drilled heat-seeking ground ball by third baseman Chase Headley, to bring both of his teammates home. The Phillies scored three more runs in the inning to run away with the game.

"It's great to see, a lot of energy on the field," Sandberg said. "The young guys are really showing some energy out there. Some good baseball in them, with rallies, running the bases, playing good defense. A lot of good stuff."

Franco, 2-for-3 with 5 RBI, also homered for the third time in two nights at Yankee Stadium. Franco is the first rookie in team history to reach 10 home runs in 37 or fewer games since Buzz Arlett hit 10 in his first 33 games in 1933.

Franco, 22, is the first player in Phillies history to record back-to-back five RBI games, at least since the RBI stat became official in 1920.

"He's really just connected on a lot of balls," Sandberg said of Franco.

The Yankees may have been tired of seeing Franco do that. Justin Wilson hit Franco in the hip with the first pitch of the seventh inning.

"I don't think it phased him," Sandberg said.

Franco's go-ahead double in the ninth came off Yankees shutdown righthanded reliever Dellin Betances, who had struck out 57 of the 133 batters he faced coming into the night. Afterward, Franco, who put on a show in the Dominican Winter League in the offseason, was asked when the last time was he had felt as comfortable and confident at the plate.

"I don't even know," said Franco, who played in front of his parents and brother in New York on Tuesday night. "I'm just locked in right now … in a good moment. I see a lot of good pitches to hit and that's what's happening right now."

Franco's latest bomb was the second in the inning off CC Sabathia.

Rupp's home run, which landed in the team's bullpen beyond the left field fence and was the first by a Phillies catcher in 2015, tied the game in the fourth inning. The Phils scored five times in the fourth, the most runs they had scored in a single inning this season.

Perhaps not surprisingly, given his torrid pace, rookie Maikel Franco chipped in during the fourth inning rally. With two on, two out and a full count against Sabathia, Franco hit a fly ball the opposite way and it managed to clear the fence for a three-run home run.

Franco's 10th home run of the year, third among major league rookies, gave the Phillies a 6-3 lead. But Sean O'Sullivan gave that lead right back in the fifth inning, when he served up two of the four home runs he allowed Tuesday night in the Bronx - Chase Headley (100th career home run) and Alex Rodriguez (669th career home run) hit back-to-back bombs and Carlos Beltran followed one of his two doubles to chase the Phils starter.

O'Sullivan, who entered the inning in line for his first win in more than a month, gave up four home runs in a game for the second time this season. Phillies pitchers have served up a major league-high 87 home runs in 73 games.

The starting pitching is still a work in progress - that transition could come after the trade deadline, led by Aaron Nola and his former teammates at Double-A Reading - but youth is being served in the new-look lineup.

Hernandez, who has been hitting second in between Ben Revere and Franco, went 3-for-4 on Tuesday, is 6-for-8 with two doubles in the first two games in New York, and is hitting .358 since beginning to play somewhat regularly last week in Baltimore. Hernandez, 25, was a .294 hitter in the minor leagues.

Rupp, 26, hit .183 in 18 games last season. But with increased playing time this season, he's thrived: Rupp is hitting .264 with a .698 OPS in 27 games.

"With the opportunity, he's done the job," Sandberg said. "Aggressive early in the count, using the whole field. He's a strong guy, with contact, he can rally sting the ball. He's having some good aggressive swings. He's another player that seems to be playing with a lot of confidence."

A week removed from a being mired in a nine-game losing streak, the Phillies as a whole are playing with a little more swagger. They've also won three straight games for the first time in five weeks.