Phillies’ Tyler Phillips tosses 4-hit shutout over Cleveland at ballpark he called home as a kid

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tyler Phillips tossed a four-hit shutout in his third big league start, and the right-hander from South Jersey raised a diehard Philadelphia Phillies fan pitched them to an 8-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday night.

“I’ve never done that before,” Phillips said. “It felt pretty awesome.”

It was the 21st complete game of the majors this season and the 12th individual shutout.

Bryce Harper, Brandon Marsh and Kyle Schwarber all homered in a seven-run fourth inning. Nick Castellanos went deep in the sixth and the Phillies acquired closer Carlos Estévez as part of an eventful night at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies landed the 2023 All-Star Estévez hours after they placed All-Star lefty Ranger Suárez on the 15-day injured list because of soreness in his lower back.

It’s the kind of move Phillips would have approved of as a Phillies fan from Lumberton, New Jersey.

Phillips improved to 3-0 and became the first Phillies rookie to toss a shutout since Zach Eflin in 2016. Phillips has won all three big-league starts, giving the Phillies an unexpected second-half boost in place of injured starters Taijuan Walker and Spencer Turnbull.

Phillips grew up as part of a generation of Phillies fans in the family and used to attend games as a young child at the demolished Veteran Stadium, but mostly at the ballpark where he shut down the AL Central leaders on Saturday. A packed house of 44,356 cheered on the right-hander and went wild as if they had seen a no-hitter when Phillips retired Angel Martinez on a flyball to left to end the game.

“You’re a rookie and you’re going to the ninth inning with a chance to have a complete game shutout. That’s nerve-racking for some,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “But he was just as calm as can be.”

Phillips raised his hand in appreciation of the cheering fans who mobbed the seats near the dugout to get a better look during a postgame interview.

“I had all my immediate family here and then everyone else just shows up,” Phillies said, laughing.

He walked one and struck out four over 105 pitches.

“He had a four-pitch mix going really well,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said.

Austin Hays, the 2023 All-Star outfielder acquired a day earlier from Baltimore, earned a standing ovation in his first at-bat with his new team and promptly singled up the middle to more applause.

Philly saved its loudest roars in the fourth for a trio of familiar faces.

Losers of seven of 10 entering the game, the Phillies slugged more like the team that raced to the best record in baseball.

Harper’s 24th homer of the season and 100th of his career at Citizens Bank Park was a two-run shot off Guardians starter Carlos Carrasco (3-9) for a 2-0 lead. Marsh added a two-run shot and Schwarber connected off reliever Nick Sandlin later in the inning for the 7-0 lead.

The 26-year-old Marsh needed a bit of confidence after Hayes pretty much was given an open audition to win the starting job in left field. Marsh is now in a platoon with light-hitting Johan Rojas in centerfield.

Marsh’s struggles against left-handers — he had a .140 batting average with two RBIs in 57 plate appearances against them this season — hindered his ability to win the starting job.

“As long as he keeps working at it, I’m always hopeful it’s going to click for him,” Thomson said. “I’ve seen it in the past where he’s had good at-bats against lefties. I still have hope here.”

The 28-year-old Suárez started 9-1 and earned his first National League All-Star selection and is 10-5 with a 2.87 ERA in 20 starts after a summer slide. He has thrown 119 1/3 innings, on pace to top his 125 last year and career high of 155 1/3 in 2022.

Suárez could return to the rotation at some point during the Aug. 8-11 series at Arizona.

BULLPEN HELLP

Estévez has 20 saves this season, a year after he had 31 and was an All-Star for the Angels. The 31-year-old Estévez, a native of the Dominican Republic, has 76 saves in 418 career appearances, all in relief.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: All-Star third baseman Alec Bohm went 0 for 2 with a walk before he left with a brusied left ankle.

Guardians: All-Star 1B Josh Naylor sat out for a second straight game.

The Guardians did not name a starter for Sunday’s finale against LHP Koby Allard.

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