Maikel Franco grand slam powers Philadelphia Phillies past Miami Marlins

PHILADELPHIA -- Maikel Franco recorded his second grand slam in as many weeks, and right-hander Vince Velasquez pitched a season-high 6 1/3 innings to pick up his first win of the season, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 7-4 decision over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Freddy Galvis added a solo home run and Michael Saunders hit his first homer of the season, a two-run shot in the eighth inning, as the Phillies won their fifth straight game. Philadelphia (10-9) moved above .500 for the first time since opening the season with a win in Cincinnati on April 3.

Wei-Yin Chen (2-1) took the loss for the Marlins (10-9), who received a solo home run by Martin Prado, a pair of RBIs by Adeiny Hechavarria and an RBI groundout by Christian Yelich. Miami saw its two-game win streak snapped.

Velasquez enjoyed his best outing, allowing three runs on six hits and throwing 68 of his 97 pitches for strikes in front of the crowd of 26,191.

The Phillies also received 2 2/3 innings of strong relief from Joely Rodriguez, Joaquin Benoit and closer Hector Neris, who allowed a ninth-inning run in a non-save situation.

After allowing no hits in seven innings in his previous start on April 18 in Seattle, Chen surrendered four runs on seven hits in five innings against the Phillies, the big blow coming on Franco's third-inning blast. Franco also had a pair of singles in the win.

Having scored 13 runs in their previous two games, both wins, the Marlins grabbed an early 1-0 lead when Dee Gordon led off the game with a triple to right field and scored on Yelich's RBI groundout. It was Gordon's 11th run scored in 19 games, second on Miami behind Yelich.

The Marlins tacked on another run to take a 2-0 lead in the third inning on a solo home run by Prado, who drove an 0-1 pitch from Velasquez into the seats in left field for his second home run in just six games this season. He missed the start of the season with a calf injury. It was the Marlins' 25th home run in 19 games.

Chen, meanwhile, had picked up where he left off in his last outing. Chen retired six of the first eight batters he faced, but opened the third inning by allowing a single to Velasquez, his second hit of the season.

Velasquez moved to second on Aaron Altherr's single and was held up at third base on Odubel Herrera's single to center field. It was a prudent move by Phillies third base coach Juan Samuel because it loaded the bases with one out for Franco.

The third baseman worked the count to 2-2 and drove Chen's next pitch into the seats in center field, just above the 387-foot sign, giving Philadelphia a 4-2 lead. It was Franco's fourth home run of the season, his third career grand slam and his second grand slam in as many weeks. Franco also hit a grand slam against the New York Mets on April 12 in a 5-4 home loss.

The Phillies and Marlins close out the series on Thursday afternoon when Philadelphia right-hander Jeremy Hellickson (3-0) faces Miami right-hander Edinson Volquez (0-2).

NOTES: Phillies RHP Clay Buchholz, 32, is not ruling out a return to the lineup in September after having surgery last week to repair a torn flexor tendon in his right arm. Buchholz is scheduled to become a free agent after the season. ... Phillies LF Aaron Altherr made his sixth straight start in place of Howie Kendrick, who is sidelined due to an oblique injury. ... Marlins LHP prospect Dillon Peters was placed on a "no-throw" status following surgery to repair multiple fractures in his left thumb. Peters, 24, fractured his thumb on a comebacker while pitching for Double-A Jacksonville on April 17. One of the Marlins' top prospects, he underwent surgery on Friday and is expected to begin throwing in six to eight weeks. ... The Marlins are on the third leg of a three-city, cross-country road trip that began with stops in Seattle and San Diego. Since leaving Miami on April 6, the Marlins have traveled 6,145 miles, with a return flight to Miami scheduled for Thursday night, increasing the total mileage to 7,162.