The Philadelphia Phillies came out swinging in Game 3 of the World Series, and they didn't stop until it was out of reach. They crushed five home runs off Houston Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr., starting with an opening shot from Bryce Harper, to grab a 2-1 series lead in front of the Philadelphia crowd.

The Phillies scored the 7-0 victory with all seven runs coming on homers. Harper, Alec Bohm, Brandon Marsh, Kyle Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins each went deep once.

Phillies starter Ranger Suarez, brought back into the picture for Game 3 by Monday's rain postponement, tossed five scoreless frames. By the time manager Rob Thomson turned to the bullpen, he had the luxury of a huge cushion.

Astros skipper Dusty Baker raised eyebrows by not turning to his well-stocked, well-rested bullpen sooner. McCullers wound up allowing an MLB postseason record five home runs — a stat that reflects how he pitched, yes, but also how long he was left out there when he clearly wasn't fooling the Phillies' lineup. Even if he had been pulled before facing the lineup a third time through — conventional even in the regular season now — he would have allowed only three homers.