Franco, Herrera homer to lift Phillies over Brewers 10-6

MILWAUKEE (AP) Odubel Herrera is doing a leadoff hitter's job for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Herrera had three hits, including a two-run homer during a three-run ninth, and Maikel Franco also homered in the Phillies' 10-6 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night.

Herrera also walked twice and now has 17 free passes this season after getting just 28 walks in 147 games as a rookie last year. His on-base percentage is up to .442 and he's reached safely in 15 straight games. He also stole two bases Saturday.

''Odubel had a career day,'' Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said.

Herrera has been effective working the count against opposing pitchers.

''I'm seeing a lot of pitches. The more pitches that I see the more pitches my teammates see. It is a collective effort,'' Herrera said, speaking through an interpreter. ''I feel very comfortable right now. ... I want to get walks. I want to steal bases.''

Franco hit his third homer in two days - a three-run, go-ahead blast in the fourth off Chase Anderson (1-2). He drove in four runs after hitting two homers in a 5-2 win over Milwaukee on Friday night.

Phillies right-hander Charlie Morton exited in the second inning after straining his left hamstring running to first on a sacrifice attempt. Brett Oberholtzer (1-0) replaced Morton and the Phillies used seven pitchers.

''It looked like he was hurt pretty bad,'' Mackanin said. ''When your pitcher leaves after the first inning, we had to piece it together somehow.''

Morton said he felt a ''pop'' in his hamstring.

''It was like my leg went dead,'' he said. ''That's why I needed help off the field. It wasn't a pain thing, although now it is pretty sore.''

Ryan Braun had a two-run homer and Chris Carter hit a solo shot for Milwaukee, which pulled within a run in the eighth.

The Phillies sent eight batters to the plate in the third and pushed across three runs. The Brewers regained the lead with three runs in the bottom half of the inning, sparked by Braun's homer.

FLASHING LEATHER

With a runner on second and no outs in the fifth, Franco made a diving stop of Braun's hard ground ball. He fired a dead-on throw to first base to get Braun while on his backside and with his legs fully extended. ''That was the first time I've done that,'' Franco said. ''Most of the time I throw from my knee. Never like that.''

COLLECTION OF CLOSERS

Mackanin said early-season performances by the back end of the bullpen have him comfortable using Jeanmar Gomez, Hector Neris and Darlier Hinojosa to close games, depending on the situation. ''We have three guys that I'm not afraid to close with,'' Mackanin said. ''On a given day if I can't use Gomez, I feel comfortable using Hinojosa and Neris. If that works out where you have three guys that can (close), that's a real bonus.''

TRAINER'S ROOM

Phillies: David Lough was struck in the right forearm by a pitch from Michael Blazek in the seventh. He remained in the game but his arm was considerably swollen afterward. ''Lough got smoked on his forearm. It is huge,'' Mackanin said. ''He couldn't even swing. We'll put ice on it.'' ... Rookie Tyler Goeddel started in right field despite having just one hit in 16 at-bats entering the game. ''I'm hoping he can get a few hits to get him going so I can use him more often,'' Mackanin said before the game. Goeddel had a pair of hits in his first two at-bats and his first career RBI.

UP NEXT

Phillies: Jerad Eickhoff (1-2, 1.89 ERA) makes his fourth start of the season. He has allowed just two runs over 14 innings and has 18 strikeouts in his last two starts. Eickhoff, who made his major league debut last August, has never faced Milwaukee.

Brewers: Wily Peralta (0-3, 8.35) last started on Tuesday and received a no decision. Opponents are batting .352 against Peralta this season. He is 2-2 with a 6.17 ERA in four career starts against Philadelphia.