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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Confidence is a big deal for Aaron Altherr.A couple more games like Friday night should help out a lot.Altherr homered twice and drove in five runs Bill Melton Jersey , leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 14-2 victory over the Miami Marlins.The 27-year-old Altherr was expected to be a regular contributor for Philadelphia after he had 19 homers and 65 RBIs in 107 games last season. But the outfielder struggled with his swing all spring and was sent down to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on July 22 after hitting just .171 with six homers.Altherr connected for a two-run shot in the second for his first homer since June 6. He added a three-run drive in the fifth and finished with four hits.“I didn’t make any mechanical adjustments, didn’t think about anything like that,” Altherr said. “Just confidence was the biggest thing. I feel whenever you’re confident up there at the plate, good things are going to happen.”Roman Quinn, Rhys Hoskins and Mitch Walding also connected for the Phillies, who snapped a five-game losing streak.Philadelphia stayed 7 1/2 games back of NL East-leading Atlanta, which beat Washington 10-5 for its sixth straight win. The Phillies were in prime position to make the postseason before stumbling in recent weeks.Zach Eflin (10-7) pitched 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball in his first win since Aug. 16. The right-hander was 0-3 with an 8.64 ERA in his last four appearances.Eflin utilized his four-seam fastball more against the Marlins than in recent outings.“You see how brilliant he can be,” manager Gabe Kapler said.J.T. Realmuto homered for Miami, which dropped its fourth straight. Wei-Yin Chen (6-11) was tagged for five runs and seven hits in four innings.Quinn finished with two hits and three RBIs after being sidelined by a small fracture in his right foot. He hit a solo drive in the second and drove in two runs with a bases-loaded fielder’s choice in the fourth.Chen struck out four and walked two in another slugging performance on the road. The left-hander is 5-3 with a 1.77 ERA in 12 home starts, but just 1-8 with a 9.29 ERA in 12 road starts.“I guess I probably need to do some more homework for the games on the road,” Chen said. “Maybe that’s what I need to do.”DROUGHT’S OVERAfter going 0 for 14 with 10 strikeouts, Walding recorded his first career hit when he homered off catcher Bryan Holaday in the ninth.“I was speechless http://www.whitesoxfanproshop.com/authentic-robin-ventura-jersey ,” Walding said. “Probably one of the happiest moments I’ve ever had in my life. “It was very special and something, obviously, I’ll never forget the rest of my life.”HOMER HAPPYRealmuto’s homer was his 21st of the season — and 18th when he is in the lineup as a catcher. He’s one shy of matching the Marlins record for homers by a catcher in a season; Charles Johnson had 19 in games where he was behind the plate in 1997.TRAINER’S ROOMMarlins: Rookie OF Austin Dean returned to the lineup after missing both games of Thursday’s doubleheader against the Mets due to illness. Dean went 2 for 4.UP NEXTRHP Vince Velasquez (9-11, 4.30) goes for Philadelphia on Saturday night in the second of a three-game set against the Marlins, who will be using a bevy of relievers. CHICAGO (AP) — The run-deficient Chicago Cubs were in a deficit from the start.Scott Schebler homered on the first pitch of the game and the Cincinnati Reds went on to beat the NL Central leaders 2-1 Sunday.Despite the defeat and the Cubs’ recent offensive woes, their division lead stayed at 2 1/2 games over Milwaukee, which also lost.Chicago, seeking its third straight Central title, scored just five runs in the three-game series and has totaled 15 runs in its last seven games.“We have to do better than one run somehow,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “The three games, we were fortunate to win two. I’ll take it. Whenever you win a series against a major league team, you’ll always take that.”Joey Votto had three hits for last-place Cincinnati Early Wynn Jersey , which stopped its three-game losing streak and Chicago’s three-game winning streak.Luis Castillo (10-12) allowed one run, four hits and four walks in 6 2/3 innings, giving up Albert Almora Jr.’s sacrifice fly in the fifth.Amir Garrett and Jared Hughes combined for four outs and Raisel Iglesias pitched the ninth for his 27th save in 31 chances, completing a five-hitter.“That’s the best three or four days of pitching that we’ve had,” Reds manager Jim Riggleman said.Jose Quintana (13-10) was bidding for what would have been a career-high 14th win. Schebler drove a 93 mph fastball into the bleachers just left of the batter’s eye, and Phillip Ervin homered leading off the fourth.“I got a pretty good swing on a ball,” Schebler said. “I’m just trying to make contact in this place. Historically, I’m pretty awful at Wrigley, so honestly, it was nice to but a barrel on a ball.”Chicago’s Victor Caratini hit a sharper grounder down the line with runners on first and second in the bottom of the fourth. First base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt called the ball foul as he unsuccessfully tried to jump out of the way.Maddon wasn’t so sure the ball was foul. The play isn’t viewable, so he asked the umpires if they could get together and discuss it. They declined and the call stood.Garrett escaped second-and-third, two-out trouble in the seventh when he relieved and struck out Anthony Rizzo Avisail Garcia Jersey , who slammed his helmet.“Offense is peaks and valleys and you just ride it out,” Cubs star Kris Bryant said. “There have been plenty of times this year when the offense is great, and plenty of times when it wasn’t. We just have to ride it out and hope that the next game is the one where we explode.”WATCHINGWillson Contreras doubled off the wall in center in the middle of the Cubs’ fifth-inning rally, but drew Maddon’s ire because he flipped his bat and stood watching the ball. He then had to bust it and dive head first into second base — and might have been out if the throw wasn’t off line.“Horrible,” Maddon said. “I didn’t like that at all. That will be addressed.”Said Contreras: “I thought it was gone. I hit it super good. What I did was not good for baseball, watching it. I embarrassed myself.”TRAINER’S ROOMReds: RHP Robert Stephenson (shoulder tendinitis) is unlikely to be activated this season, according to Riggleman. Stephenson has been on the 10-day DL since Aug. 30.Cubs: OF Jason Heyward (right hamstring tightness) was activated from the 10-day DL but did not play. … INF Tommy La Stella was scratched about two hours before first pitch because of lower back tightness. … LF Kyle Schwarber (back) missed his sixth straight game and didn’t accompany the team to Arizona for a three-game series starting Monday.UP NEXTReds: RHP Anthony DeSclafani (7-5, 4.80 ERA) starts the opener of a three-game series at Milwaukee on Monday night. LHP Wade Miley (4-2, 2.23) pitches for the Brewers.Cubs: RHP Kyle Hendricks (11-11, 3.71 ERA) takes the mound Monday night in the opener at Arizona. LHP Patrick Corbin (11-5, 3.05) starts for the Diamondbacks.