Phillies play small ball to win eighth straight game in 12-3 victory vs. Cardinals

Gabriela Carroll, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Aug 22, 2026

Published in Baseball

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PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies have long been a team that relied on the long ball.

By the time Bryce Harper hit the Phillies’ first home run of the game in the sixth inning, they’d already scored eight runs. Over their now eight-game win streak, they’ve found offensive success through small ball.

Alec Bohm, who hit the walk-off triple in Friday’s win, stayed hot in the first inning, knocking a single to left to score the Phillies’ first run after Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner walked and singled to get on base. Edmundo Sosa followed with a double to make it 3-0 in the first.

In the third, Bohm, Sosa and Luis Arraez loaded the bases with singles, then Bryan De La Cruz knocked in two more runs with a single. J.T. Realmuto added a sacrifice fly, and Derek Hill doubled to put the Phillies up by 7-0. Schwarber added another sacrifice fly in the sixth, followed by Harper’s three-run homer. Schwarber homered in the eighth off position player Pedro Páges to cap off the Phillies 12-3 win over the Cardinals.

Twelve runs were more than enough support for Andrew Painter, who bounced back from a five-run outing in Minnesota with one of his best outings as a pro.

He carved through the Cardinals’ lineup, finishing the seventh inning for the first time in his career, allowing just one run with eight strikeouts and no walks. Painter earned a big standing ovation from the Citizens Bank Park crowd after throwing the last of his 102 pitches.

Painter didn’t give up his first run until the sixth inning, an RBI single from Alec Burleson. He once again made heavy use of his changeup, a pitch he’s used more since his stint in Triple-A. He got six whiffs on the pitch.

Since his 2024 Tommy John surgery, Painter has been trying to rebuild his fastball, which was identified as his best weapon as a prospect. He threw 32% of his fastballs for either called strikes or whiffs on Saturday.

Painter’s disastrous start to the year raised questions about his ceiling and his long-term future in the organization. But since returning to the rotation on July 31, Painter has put up quality starts in two out of his five games, including on Saturday.

Arraez was removed from the game with lower body cramps in the third inning. Hill was removed with neck stiffness in the sixth. Both will be evaluated.