Diamondbacks’ Tommy Henry roughed up by Phillies in loss

Philadelphia sluggers Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm hit back-to-back home runs, as the Phillies tagged Arizona Diamondbacks starter Tommy Henry with six earned runs in a 12-1 win at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday.

Henry did not get out of the fourth inning in his second straight appearance allowing at least five earned runs. Philadelphia (50-26) scored in five of the first six innings of play to run the score up after falling 5-4 on Friday. Arizona (38-39) fell back below .500, a mark its reached on Friday for the first time since April.

Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, meanwhile, was sharp with seven innings, one earned run and eight strikeouts.

Wheeler threw 14.2 innings with three earned runs against Arizona during the National league Championship Series last October. He has generally pitched very well against Arizona with a career 2.65 ERA in 91.2 innings.

The D-backs managed two hits on Saturday, the lone run coming off an RBI single by catcher Tucker Barnhart. Jake McCarthy recorded the other hit.

“It was one of those days where it was just a couple of hits,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “A very stubborn pitcher we were facing and we never got anything going. You saw what happened on the mound. We made a lot of mistakes and (they) took advantage of it.”

Philadelphia took a 2-0 advantage in the first inning, as Harper drove in the opening run on a single to center. Wheeler threw four perfect innings to start the game and give his offense the opportunity to break it open, and the two home runs did the trick in the third inning.

Harper’s blast came on a first-pitch curveball by Henry that hung in the zone, and Harper hit it 427 feet to the second deck in right field. Bohm ripped a 2-2 fastball right over the heart of the plate 417 feet to left-center.

Two walks and a hit-by-pitch did not help Henry, either, whose day ended after a Kyle Schwarber RBI double with two outs in the fourth inning. His ERA climbed to 7.05.

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“It’s been a little bit of a roller coaster so far,” Henry told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta on Thursday of his season. “That’s no secret. I wish I’ve performed better up until this point. I wish I’ve done more to put our team, the times that I’m out there, in a better position to win than I have. On that same note, I feel really inspired by the work I’ve been able to get in with (Brent) Strom, with (Dan Carlson), with the pitching staff in between starts, and I feel like things are heading in a good direction.”

Scott McGough and Thyago Vieira came out of the bullpen as the cleanup crew. McGough allowed four earned runs in 2.1 frames, allowing a two-run home run to Nick Castellanos. Castellanos had five RBIs, four off McGough.

Barnhart jumped on the mound in the eighth inning, and he lobbed pitches less than 40 mph. David Dahl took Barnhart yard, as the catcher finished with one inning and two earned runs on four hits. It was his sixth career pitching appearance.

The Diamondbacks had been getting solid work from the starting rotation this month before Saturday, as Jordan Montgomery, Slade Cecconi, Ryne Nelson and Brandon Pfaadt are all coming off quality starts. Cecconi is up next to pitch in Sunday’s series finale at 8:35 a.m.

Zac Gallen is scheduled to throw a simulated game on Monday, as he gets closer to reentering the rotation.

Injury updates

Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (left thumb sprain) was placed on the 10-day injured list after leaving Friday’s game in the sixth inning. Jose Herrera was recalled from Triple A Reno. Outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. didn’t play after leaving Friday night’s game with elbow soreness. He is considered day to day.

Phillies infielder Edmundo Sosa was removed from Saturday’s game in the sixth inning after being struck in the left elbow by a Scott McGough splitter. The club announced a bruise and said X-rays were negative.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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