Wow, what a weird weekend of Phillies’ baseball, right?
Phillies vs. Mets Recap
The constant back-and-forth of wins and losses came to an end this weekend. The Phillies picked up an obsolete win on Friday night over the New York Mets. Here, the Phillies scored their only two runs on a strikeout. Chase Anderson struck out, but two runs scored since it was a wild pitch. He was also the first pitcher not named Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, or Zach Eflin to pitch into the sixth inning this season. Benches cleared twice while four relievers came in for Anderson, all of who combined for one total run and hit allowed.
Game two of the series found the Mets coming out on top. This did not come with some more controversy, though. With one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, second base umpire Jose Navas ruled that Andrew McCutchen ran out of the baseline to avoid an attempted tag by shortstop Francisco Lindor. This caused an inning-ending double play. However, replays showed McCutchen ran in a straight line from first to second. Michael Conforto would go on to hit a game-winning home run in the ninth inning.
Then came game three on Sunday Night Baseball. Again, this was evidently unable to finish up without some drama. After Didi Gregorius put the Phillies ahead with a three-run homer in the sixth, the bullpen’s rockiness continued. Three different pitchers came into the game to allow six runs alone in the eighth inning after Zach Eflin’s solid two-run outing. However, Rhys Hoskins nearly played hero as he hit what was originally called a three-run, game-tying, home run. Umpires reversed the call to a ground-rule double, and Bryce Harper struck out immediately after to end the game.
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Jose Alvarado’s Suspension
During Friday night’s steal of a win over the Mets, Phillies’ reliever Jose Alvarado contributed to clearing benches not just once, but twice. With two on and two out at the top of the eighth inning, locked in a one-run ballgame, Alvarado caught Dominic Smith swinging for the final out of the frame.
These two previously had beef brewing. A couple of weeks prior, Alvarado nearly hit Michael Conforto on a pitch near his head, then did catch Conforto on the hands. Smith chirped the reliever from the dugout, where Alvarado shushed him insinuating it was an accident.
Due to all of the above, Alvarado celebrated with plenty of emotion after the out. Benches cleared after Alvarado threw his glove as Smith threw his helmet in an attempt to pump their chests. Alvarado received a three-game suspension for “inciting a benches-clearing brawl.” He is in the process of appealing this.
Brew Crew Coming to Town
Phillies have their hands full again
The Milwaukee Brewers are up next for the Phillies. Milwaukee arrived in Philadelphia on Monday morning for what is game one of a four-game series.
In game one, Adrian Houser will square off against Vinny Velo on the mound. Phillies’ ace Aaron Nola gets the nod against Eric Lauer in game two. Chase Anderson will be on the hill in a Wednesday night matchup against Freddy Peralta. Zack Wheeler then closes out the series against Brandon Woodruff in a Thursday afternoon matinee.
The Brewers will be without both Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain, as both were placed on the 10-day IL yesterday. Philadelphia is catching a huge break here, as Yelich is hitting .333 on the year, and an outstanding .389 on the road. Each of these guys are going to miss the start of the series, but could both return at one point before Thursday.
This series is followed up by a big series against the Atlanta Braves, so momentum will be key in this series. I know it’s early in the season, but it almost feels like Philadelphia needs to get something rolling now before it gets too late. The Phillies have struggled against teams over .500, and this gives them a chance to show their grit. Splitting this series would be solid, but taking three of four against Milwaukee would be huge for Philadelphia.
Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire
