Philadelphia Phillies

Phillies Series Recap: Brooms out in Cincy

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The Phillies ended their six-game homestand in style versus the Reds. They swept the series- winning all three games- as they shook off a rocky start to the season. Let’s recap what went down in Philly:

 

Welcome to the Show, Rook!
Scott Kingery continued to emulate a proven veteran in just his fourth ever big-league series. In Game 1 of the series, the red-hot rookie golfed a ball to deep left field for his first homerun in the senior circuit:

It wasn’t the most desirable of pitches, but it was good enough for Kingery as he belted it over the left field wall. Unfortunately for the Reds- and graciously for the Phils- Kingery wasn’t done cranking out homeruns in the series.

After hitting his first MLB home run the night before, Kingery decided to take things up a notch and hit his first career MLB grand slam in game 2(!):

Oddly enough, his second homer came on the same pitch count and score as his first, as well as both landing in the left field seats, but that’s where the similarities end. Unlike the first homer, which was carried out by the wind a bit, Kingery absolutely smoked the grand slam over the wall. It was a huge hit, as it gave the Phils the

insurance runs they needed to seal game two over Cincinnati. It wouldn’t be Kingery’s only game winning hit of the series, but we’ll get to that later.

 

Pivetta Praise:
Pivetta continued to make strides in the right direction after getting batted around in his first start of the 2018 season. In the series finale against Cincy, Pivetta was a man on a mission. The young right-hander struck out seven and allowed just two runs in seven innings pitched. It was his second impressive start in a row, and hopefully this trend continues as he gets more experience against major league batters.

 

Thrilling Finale:
The third and final game of the series was an eventful one for the Phils, as they earned their third straight victory, but not before pulling off a few highlight plays in the process.

The Phils drew first blood in the contest, as they plated two runs in the bottom of the second inning following a J.P Crawford home run:

As the Phillies spanish twitter pointed out, Crawford went YARD for his first MLB home run. It’s encouraging to see Crawford remain poised at the plate, despite a poor start, and trust his swing.

Unfortunately, the Phils were unable to hold on to the early lead and get Pivetta the win he deserved, as Hector Neris blew the save at the top of the ninth inning. The game dragged on for a few more scoreless innings before the rookie hit-machine Scott Kingery came through in the bottom of the 12th inning. With runners on first and third

base and only one out, Kingery hit a sacrifice fly to right field for a walk-off victory. And with that, Kingery became the first player to complete a very impressive feat:

Talk about being dialed in at the plate. It’s safe to say the Phils brass made the right decision by opting to extend him instead of sending him back to the minors. Kingery may just be the latest in a long line of upcoming stars in the City of Brotherly Love.

 

Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

About the Author

Jalyn Smoot

Jalyn is a 24-year old freelance writer, sports reporter, content creator, and student at the UNT Mayborn School of Journalism. In the four years since beginning his sports writing career, Jalyn has compiled 200+ high-volume articles for Philly Sports Network, including frequent appearances on Metro Philly, Bleacher Report, and Apple News. A Saint Louis native, Jalyn has worked tirelessly to expand his reach far beyond the Show-Me state and will continue to do so moving forward.

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