Bruce Almighty: Phillies 9, Padres 6

Jay Bruce and the Phillies have a lot of history together, and most of it has been unpleasant for the Phillies. Tuesday night served as a bit of an apology for all the torment he’s put Phillies fans through over the years. His two home runs led the team to a losing-streak snapping 9-6 win over the Padres.

With Andrew McCutchen sidelined for the season, Bruce and Scott Kingery will likely be the recipients of more playing time. So its a good sign that both men had big nights on Tuesday. Kingery drove in the Phillies’ first run with an RBI double in the second inning, and added a solo home run in the fourth.

But in his second game with the team, Bruce was the biggest star of the night. He launched a two-run home run in the fourth inning, and added a grand slam in the fifth for good measure.

Jerad Eickhoff made the most of the run support, earning the win by allowing three runs in six innings. The Phillies appeared to be cruising to victory until Edgar Garcia ran into trouble in the eighth. Home runs by Franmil Reyes and Eric Hosmer got the Padres to within three. Fortunately, Seranthony Dominguez and Hector Neris were able to finish off the game with no further damage.

Losing McCutchen was definitely a blow to the Phillies hopes. But for one night at least, Jay Bruce gave fans hope that it won’t be a fatal one.