PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryce Harper homered for his first three hits of the season, including a grand slam, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-4 on Tuesday night.
Brandon Marsh also connected for Philadelphia, which bounced back nicely after dropping the series opener on Monday. Spencer Turnbull struck out seven in five effective innings.
Harper went 0 for 11 with a walk while playing in three of the Phillies’ first four games, but he broke out in a big way against the Reds.
The two-time NL MVP hit a solo shot in the first and fourth innings against Graham Ashcraft. He capped Philadelphia’s five-run seventh against Brent Suter with his seventh career grand slam, a 422-foot drive to right-center.
It was Harper’s second career three-homer game and his 26th multihomer game overall. He finished with a career-best six RBIs.
It was the first time a Phillies player hit three home runs in a game at Citizens Bank Park since Jayson Werth on May 16, 2008, against Toronto.
