On the heels of a walk-off victory over the Nats, Philly would end up in another close game against a division rival. Citizens Bank Park was host once again for Phillies baseball, as the team took on the New York Mets. Jerad Eickhoff was making his second start of the season and would be supported by the following lineup:
Phillies tonight. Stassi starts at first pic.twitter.com/mxvrbD5Mj8
— Jim Salisbury (@JimSalisbury215) April 10, 2017
The Phillies’ offense did an excellent job of getting to Jacob DeGrom, who dominated them last year, early in the ballgame. Patience was the name of the game, as the Phils’ batters worked the count to perfection- drawing two walks in the opening frame. An RBI single and a bases loaded walk by Rupp gave the team an early 2-0 lead, and they forced deGrom to throw 31 pitches in the first.
Eickhoff seemed comforted by the early run support and was absolutely sensational against the Mets. The young right-hander struck out seven batters through as many innings and only allowed three hits in the ballgame. Unfortunately, he did allowed a game-tying two runs and would exit with a no decision despite his superb outing.
Mets’ OF Jay Bruce gave New York their first lead with a two-run home run at the top of the eighth inning, his second homer of the game.
The Phillies would try to rally for their second consecutive walk-off victory at the bottom of the ninth, down two, and started the inning off on a promising note. Spring Training sensation Brock Stassi homered to deep left center (401 ft.) for his first MLB hit, and cut the deficit to just one score. The Phillies ultimately came up short, but Stassi’s first hit/homer helped cushion the blow of the loss a bit. Philly will have a shot at redemption tomorrow night for Game 2 of the series at CBP.
Be sure to stay tuned right here at Philly Sports Network as we recap every Phillies game this season!
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
