BOSTON -- Kyle Schwarber was happy to see old friend Ranger Suarez again on Thursday night -- but he was probably happier to see him go.
Facing his former team for the first time, Suarez got the better of Schwarber in each of their three meetings (including a pair of strikeouts). That left Schwarber 0-for-8 with four K's in his career against Suarez.
So when Schwarber stepped to the plate in the eighth inning, he had to be thrilled to see Red Sox reliever Tyler Samaniego staring back at home.
Sure, Samaniego was another tough left-hander and had yet to allow a run in his brief big league career -- but he wasn't Suarez.
Locked in a scoreless tie, Schwarber sent a 3-1 offering over the Phillies' bullpen beyond the right-field seats for a go-ahead two-run homer. It was Schwarber's seventh homer in seven games and MLB-leading 18th of the season.
It was also the decisive swing in the Phillies’ 3-1 victory at Fenway Park as Jesús Luzardo (six scoreless innings) outlasted former rotationmate Suarez (5 1/3 scoreless) to set up Schwarber’s latest heroics.