PHILADELPHIA – Lawrence Butler hit three home runs, Brent Rooker and Seth Brown each had two homers, and the Oakland Athletics routed the first-placed Philadelphia Phillies 18-3 on Sunday.
Butler had six RBIs. Rooker tied his career high with five RBIs for Oakland, which entered with the fourth-fewest wins in baseball and trailing Seattle by 16 games in the AL West. The Athletics’ eight home runs were estimated at a combined 3,340 feet.
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“It sounds like the distance back to Oakland," manager Mark Kotsay said. "They hit the ball hard today. There weren’t really any cheap home runs.”
Zack Gelof hit a grand slam off Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs in the ninth inning.
Trea Turner homered for the Phillies. Philadelphia began play with the most wins in baseball and ahead of the Braves by 9 ½ games in the NL East. The Phillies were trying to extend their club record of 62 victories before the All-Star Game and match the 1973 and ’74 Dodgers for the most NL wins before the break.
“We just got our butts kicked today, but it was a good first half,” Turner said.
Alec Bohm had a pair of doubles for the Phillies to up his MLB-leading total to 33. Turner and Bohm are two of Philadelphia’s franchise-record eight All-Stars.
Joey Estes (4-4) allowed two earned runs on four hits in six strong innings.
"He threw the ball really well," Kotsay said.
It was just Philadelphia’s third home series loss and first since losing consecutive series to Atlanta and Cincinnati to open the season.
Butler hit three two-run shots, in the fifth, seventh and eighth. The last of the trio went 449 feet into the second deck in right-center field.
“I wanted to put the barrel on the ball," Butler said. “I got it how I wanted to get it, and it went pretty far.”
It was the first time he'd ever hit three homers in a game at any level.
“That was a pretty cool moment,” he said.
Rooker completed a red-hot three games in Philadelphia in which he went 7 for 12 with a double, three homers and seven RBIs.
“The ball is flying out there, so that definitely helps," he said. “I’ve been seeing it well, swinging it well the past week.”
He launched his first shot 450 feet over the batter’s eye in center field in the fourth off Michael Mercado (1-2) and then drove a Mercado 94-mph, four-seamer into Ashburn Alley, which is the walkway beyond the outfield. That home run traveled an estimated 452 feet.
“Both of those were about as clean as I can catch one," Rooker said.
Turner put the Phillies ahead by sending a 2-2, 81-mph slider from Estes over the wall in left to give Philadelphia a 1-0 lead. It was the eighth home run in 12 games for Turner, who upped his season total to 11. He missed 38 games with a left hamstring strain.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson said the time off for the All-Star break comes at a good time.
“They've been grinding for a while now,” he said. “I think everybody needs the four days off.”
Thomson said he'll be driving home to Canada.
“I've got some time to think about this one,” he said.
UP NEXT
Following the All-Star break, both teams return to action Friday night. Philadelphia travels to Pittsburgh while Oakland hosts the Los Angeles Angels.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb