The Phillies probably wouldn’t be where they are today – in the playoffs for the third straight year, sights set firmly on another World Series trophy – without the contributions of a bullpen that was money at The Bank most of this season.
Probably no manager in baseball has the number of arrows in his quiver as Rob Thomson. In high leverage situations he might go to Jeff Hoffman or Matt Strahm or Carlos Estevez or Orion Kerkering or Jose Alvarez or Jose Ruiz and usually feel good about it.
Having said that ...
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The Phillies probably won’t be in the playoffs long enough to compete for the big shiny piece of metal unless the bullpen gets itself straightened out pretty soon.
The Phillies evened their best-of-five National League Division Series against the Mets with a heart-thumping 7-6 walk-off win Sunday at Citizens Bank Park.
They did it because an offense that had been largely inert came alive after Bryce Harper hit a two-run high off the ivied batter’s eye in dead center in the sixth and Nick Castellanos followed with a solo shot to tie the score.
Except Ruiz was unable to provide a shutdown inning in the seventh, giving up a homer to Mets leftfielder Brandon Nimmo.
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The Phillies took the lead for the first time on a two-run triple by Bryson Stott in the eighth. Except the Mets tied it again on a two-run home run by New York third baseman Mark Vientos (who drove in four runs on a double and two homers) in the top of the ninth off Strahm.
The Phillies finally won it when Mets reliever Tyler Megill walked Trea Turner and Bryce Harper with one out. Turner scored easily on Castellanos’s base hit to left and the Phillies both celebrated and thanked their lucky stars that Abner Doubleday decided games should last just nine innings instead of 10.
“Clutch, man,” Harper said. “Came back and won that game. Just huge. Rocky would be proud.”
In the first two games of this series, Phillies starters Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez have combined to allow two runs in 12 innings, a 1.50 earned run average.
The relievers, by contrast, have been tagged for 10 runs in 9 innings: a 10.00 ERA. Yes, it’s a small ample size. But the pen was scored on in 8 of their last 13 games for a 4.93 ERA. Which is not to say that they can’t right themselves. Just that they need to. And quickly.
THE SECOND-GUESSING CORNER
Rob Thomson brought in the lefthanded Matt Strahm to protect a 2-run lead in the ninth even though two of the first three scheduled Mets hitters were righthanded (along with switch-hitter Francsico Lindor) and Jesse Winker was the only lefthanded bat off the bench for Mets manager Carlos Mendoza.
Orion Kerkering and Carlos Estévez had already been used, but Jeff Hoffman was still available.
“It's just the way it kind of worked out,” Thomson sort of explained after New York tied the score against Strahm. “Those were the pockets that we set up prior to the game for all of those guys.”
Strahm said he wasn’t surprised to find himself in the game in that situation. “I think I can get righties out just as good as lefties. I’ve done that my whole career,” he said. “So it doesn’t surprise me so I’m ready whenever they hand me the ball. I’m a relief pitcher, not the manager.”
FOR STARTERS
Cristopher Sánchez was an All-Star this season, so it wasn’t a shock to see him hold the Mets to two runs in five innings Sunday night in Game 2. But what was particularly impressive was his command considering that he was working with 11 days rest.
In the first inning, 12 of his 14 pitches were strikes. For the game, 66 of 88 were. “We just kept working,” he said through translator Diego D’Aniello when asked how he managed to stay so sharp. “Threw a couple bullpen session, one that I really enjoyed. Just went out and had fun and I think that was the key.”
The Phillies will work out Monday at Citi Field. RHP Aaron Nola (14-8, 3.57) will face LHP Sean Manaea (12-6, 3.47) in Game 3 beginning Tuesday at 5:08 p.m.
RUN, RUN, RUN
Manager Rob Thomson tried to jump start his sputtering off with four stolen bases attempts, three successful, in the first four innings.
The tone was set early when Trea Turner stole both second and third in the first. It didn’t lead to any runs, but the Phillies needed to do something to spark the lineup. It also made sense because Mets starter Luis Severino is deliberate to the plate and catcher Francisco Alavarez threw out just 18 percent of runners this season.