Phillies come back from the all-star break looking to build off of their sweep against Miami, but end up getting swept.
GAME ONE
The only bright spot of this game was Schwarber hitting his 30th home run of the season. Other than that, both sides of the ball failed to do their job as they lost 15-2.
I guess we’ll go with the pitching to start. Gibson was on the mound to start, and it did not go well. He allowed six runs off six hits, walked three, allowed a home run, and didn’t strike anyone out in 4.1 innings. Gibson has had better starts, but he’s also had worse. We’ve come back from four home runs in a row in the first inning, so six runs by the fourth inning is a somewhat manageable game for any team legitimately looking to get into the postseason through offense. But when Familia (1), Romero (3), and Stubbs (5) all allow runs in relief, no one is coming back from that. The pitching allowed a total of 19 hits, four home runs, six walks, and 15 runs. Just a terrible day to be a pitcher for the Phillies.
The offense also failed miserably at their job this game. They only managed to get two runs on six hits with four strikeouts. Darick Hall and Kyle Schwarber each had a solo home run because RISP seems to still be an issue after going into the luxury tax.
Horrible game in every aspect, especially as the first game after the all-star break.
GAME TWO
With Wheeler on the mound for game two, I was willing to ignore the first game. Usually when they have a terrible game on both sides of the ball, the next game is followed up with at least one of the sides doing well. That’s kind of what happened, but the pitching did end up crumbling at the end.
It doesn’t sound like it, but the pitching was solid this game. They kept the score 1-1 the entire game until the 10th inning. Wheels went seven innings and allowed three hits including a home run while striking out six. The pitching kept it at a one-run game, but Alvarado came in and allowed five runs in the 10th to mess that up. In total, the pitching allowed six runs (four earned) on seven hits, walked one, and struck out 11.
Once again, the offense was nowhere to be seen. Not common the game after they only scored two runs, but it does happen from time to time, and this was one of those times. They managed to get a whole two runs on six hits.
The pitchers handed them a very winnable game, but they couldn’t manage to get two runs in nine innings.
GAME THREE
With Falter starting this game, there were very low expectations on the pitchers. As it turns out, one could still be disappointed with the result because we lost 4-3. With the drama surrounding Castellanos and the trade deadline looming, there are a lot of distractions right now.
The pitching was almost exactly what we thought it would be. Falter started and went five innings and allowed four runs on five hits with five strikeouts. Nelson, Knebel, and Familia did their jobs as they combined for two hits and two strikeouts. Aside from them striking out every batter in order, we couldn’t have asked for more from them.
Remember at the head of this when I said there were low expectations and they still disappointed? Yeah, that was the offense. They had nine hits and only managed to get three runs out of it. Bohm had three hits, Stubbs and Hoskins had two, then Castellanos and Stott both had one. It’s unbelievable that it only resulted in three runs. They tried to come back, but ultimately they started the rally too late.
Disappointing end to a game we didn’t expect much out of. The ones I really feel bad for are those that went to the game in this heat.
We have a crucial three-game series against the Braves starting tomorrow at 7:05. Hopefully with the normal broadcasting back, the Phils will be able to do something. It’s getting harder and harder to be positive, but I’m not giving up yet. The all-star break ends today and the postseason push begins.
Go Phils.
