Nick Castellanos drives in 5 as Phillies crush D-backs

Nick Castellanos homered and scored a season-high five runs, Zack Wheeler pitched seven strong innings and the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks 12-1 on Saturday to even the teams’ three-game series.

Bryce Harper went 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs, while Kyle Schwarber doubled twice and scored three runs for Philadelphia, which bounced back from a 5-4 loss in the series opener Friday to record its 50th victory.

Wheeler (9-4) limited the Diamondbacks to one run on two hits and struck out eight without walking. He retired Arizona’s first 12 batters before hitting Christian Walker with a pitch to open the fifth inning.

Walker scored the Diamondbacks’ lone run on Tucker Barnhart’s two-out single in the fifth.

Barnhart finished 1-for-3, giving up a two-run home run to David Dahl in the bottom of the eighth inning after switching from catcher to pitcher.

Gregory Soto and Jose Ruiz each worked a perfect relief inning for Philadelphia as Arizona squandered a chance to get above .500 for the first time since the team entered the game down 4-3 on April 5.

The Phillies had twice as many home runs (four) as the Diamondbacks had hits (two).

Philadelphia’s first two home runs came in the third inning.

Two batters after Schwarber doubled to start the frame, Harper obliterated Tommy Henry’s curveball from the first pitch 400 feet into the second deck in right field for a two-run shot that made it 4-0.

Alec Bohm followed Harper’s 18th home run of the season with his eighth long ball, a 400-foot drive to center.

Schwarber added an RBI double with two outs in the fourth inning to make it 6-0 and chase Henry (2-3). The starter from Arizona gave up six runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out two in 3 2/3 innings.

Castellanos pushed the Phillies ahead 8-1 in the fifth when he tattooed a two-run explosion 450 feet into the second deck in left for his 11th home run of the year.

Philadelphia led 10-1 after Castellanos dumped a two-run single into left field in the sixth.

Phillies avoided a third straight loss and snapped their three-game skid against Arizona dating back to last year’s National League Championship Series.

The Diamondbacks won Games 6 and 7 in Philadelphia last season to secure their second National League pennant.

–Field-level media