Phils find formula in series win vs. D-backs

PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies’ magic number is five.

No, we’re not talking about magic numbers in the traditional sense, especially since Philadelphia (66-64) faces a 4 1/2-game deficit to first-place Atlanta (70-59) in the National League East.

But if Joe Girardi’s club is going to catch the Braves for the top spot and a ticket to October, five -- as in, scoring five or more runs per game -- might be the formula the Phillies need to get there.

Since July 1, the Phils are 21-3 (.875 winning percentage) in games in which they score at least five runs, including a 14-1 mark since July 23. The most recent data point in that set is three of four taken from the D-backs this weekend at Citizens Bank Park, which culminated Sunday afternoon with a 7-4 victory in front of a crowd of 22,237.

• Box score

When the Phillies score four runs or fewer, that record is just 8-20 since July 1.

“I think our pitching has been pretty good, but the key there is five runs,” Girardi said. “We’ve lost some 3-2 and some 2-1 and that sort of thing, so I think consistent offense is a big thing for us.”

Rhys Hoskins’ season-ending injury removed a key bat from the Phillies’ offense, while J.T. Realmuto left Sunday’s game after turning his left ankle on a swing during his fifth-inning at-bat. Realmuto is considered day to day, but even if he’s forced to miss some time, the series finale was a reminder that contributions can come from several spots throughout the lineup.

“It makes it tougher,” Girardi said. “But you’ve got to get other people to step up.”

Freddy Galvis drove in three runs for the Phils, who also got RBIs from Andrew McCutchen and Jorge Bonifacio to build an early lead. Arizona cut the lead to one in the eighth, but Rafael Marchan and Travis Jankowski hit consecutive RBI triples in the bottom of the inning to give Ian Kennedy some breathing room in the ninth for his fifth save with the Phillies.

“Freddy had a good day, Marchan had a good day,” Girardi said. “You just need those types of things to happen where other guys help.”

Ranger Suárez allowed one run over 5 1/3 innings, picking up his first win in six starts since moving into the starting rotation four weeks ago. Suárez has a 2.03 ERA in those starts, though his 1.48 ERA for the season remains the third lowest in the Majors for pitchers with at least 60 innings.

The Phillies handed Suárez a 2-0 lead in the first inning, though he gave a run back in the second. Galvis’ two-run single highlighted a three-run fifth for the Phils, putting them in firm control.

“It’s definitely good when you look at the scoreboard and you see you have a lead,” Suárez said through a translator. “That’s something really good to work with; it gives you more confidence to attack hitters.”

The D-backs made things interesting in the late innings, scoring three runs against the Phillies’ bullpen, two of them against Archie Bradley in the eighth. Héctor Neris recorded the final out in the eighth with the tying run at second base, preserving the lead before the Phils added a pair of insurance runs.

After dropping three straight games to open the homestand, the Phillies now hit the road for nine games in Washington, Miami and Milwaukee riding the momentum of a three-game winning streak.

“It’s a lot better than the way it started out,” Girardi said of the 3-3 homestand. “We’ve started to play better, and hopefully it can continue as we move into this road trip.”

This weekend also marked just the second series win for the Phillies in their last six, but they’ll need to make that a common occurrence over their final 10 series if they want to earn their first division title -- and postseason appearance -- in a decade.

“We know what we have to do,” Galvis said. “If we lose one game, we have to turn the page and try to get the next one. That’s what we're going to do, and that's what we've been doing. We're going to win some games and we're going to lose some games, but we have to have a short memory.”

That, and score at least five runs every game. It’s the magic number.