CLEVELAND (AP) — Bryce Harper connected for a three-run homer that Philadelphia desperately needed and the Phillies avoided sliding any deeper in the NL wild-card standings with a 9-4 win over the Cleveland Indians on Saturday night. Brad Miller homered twice as the Phillies stayed within five games of Milwaukee for the second wild-card spot.
But it was Harper’s 33rd homer in the fifth inning off left-hander Oliver Pérez (2-4) — a shot the Ohio State football fan celebrated by flashing an “O-H” as he crossed home plate — that put the Phillies ahead and prevented them from fading further from the postseason picture.