Phillies baseball is back. The Phils swept Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and the Angels on Sunday afternoon. The Phillies have now won four games in a row and have found a little life. After two strong performances on Friday and Saturday, it took a little bit of magic to end the weekend with a sparkle. After trailing 6-2 in the eighth, a Bryce Harper grand slam would tie the game in the ninth. With two outs and two men on, Bryson Stott delivered his first career walk-off to send the fans home happy and the Angels home winless.
Angels Bats Awaken
Kyle Gibson took the rubber for the Phillies on Sunday. Gibson has been very solid in 2022, posting a 3.83 earned run average with a 3-2 record. Kyle started off his outing against the Angels strong. The veteran right-hander was mowing down the lineup much like Eflin and Wheeler had done the previous two games. Once the Phils turned to the fourth inning, Kyle Gibson began to struggle.
The top three members of the Angels order would proceed to get on base. A leadoff walk by Matt Duffy, a double from Shohei Ohtani, and a walk from Mike Trout would load the bases. With nobody out, first baseman, Jared Walsh, would knock in the first two runs of the afternoon. Veteran catcher Kurt Suzuki, who has hit well against the Phillies during his long MLB career, would drive in the next run to make it 3-0 LA. The following batter lay down a safety squeeze in an effort to knock in another run. Phillies’ first baseman Rhys Hoskins atempted to throw out the runner going to second but an errant throw pulled shortstop Bryson Stott off the bag. The runner was safe and the fourth run would score for the Angels. That would wrap up Kyle Gibson’s outing, finishing with 3.1 innings, six hits allowed, and five earned runs.
The Phillies’ offense however did not stay down for long. In the bottom half of the fifth, things would pick up. Rhys Hoskins got on base after getting hit by a pitch. MVP Bryce Harper ripped a double into right that moved Hoskins to third.
The Phillies had two men on and nobody out.
Nick Castellanos stepped up and crushed a ball to right, but the ballpark held the ball. Hoskins easily scored and the Phillies got on the board. JT Realmuto was up next. He hit a ball hard to the right side of the field and Jared Walsh made a really nice play to record the out. Harper’s smart baserunning added another run to make it a 5-2 game.
The Phillies rally to a win
After the little wake-up call in the sixth, it took the Phillies a little bit longer to pick up the pace. Following an added Angels run in the top of the 8th, the Phils looked to strike back once again. A leadoff single by Odubel Herrera, an Angels error, and a Kyle Schwarber walk would load the bases.
Following a Rhys Hoskins strikeout, Bryce Harper returned to the plate. Harper battled against Angels closer Raisel Iglesias. With a 3-2 count, Raisel left a fastball over the middle of the plate and the MVP does not miss those. Bryce Harper absolutely crushed a ball to deep right field to tie the game with a grand slam. A somewhat sleepy Citizens Bank Park rose from the grave.
No. 1 Prospect Shows Out for the Phillies
Bryson Stott hasn’t had the ideal start to his Major League career but he has been able to create some cool moments. Much like his first career home run on Friday, Bryson continued to have a fun weekend at the ballpark. With Mike Trout at the plate, Stott had a chance to show off his cannon of an arm. A ground ball was hit deep in the hold on the left side of the field and with a fast runner like Mike Trout moving down the line, Bryson was going to have to be perfect on his throw to first. Spoiler alert: He was. An incredible throw off his back foot, much like the ones Derek Jeter popularized, nailed a floundering Trout at first base.
Watching the game it felt like Bryson’s defensive web gem would be the highlight of the game. But when given a chance to make another memory, the kid delivered. Bryson lived the dream scenario every kid plays out in the backyard growing up. With 2 outs and a 3-2 count, Stott ripped a three-run homer to the right-field seats to win the game. Under Joe Giardi, Bryson looked a little lost. Under Rob Thomson, Bryson Stott looks like a first-round pick.
4 in a Row
Following the walkoff homerun from Bryson Stott, the Phillies have now won four straight games. Their record now sits at 25-29 and they have begun to climb from the basement of the NL East. While the Mets have a comfortable lead in the division, a long winning streak can change how we feel about this club.
What’s Next
The Phillies will have an off day on Monday before heading to Milwaukee to take on the Brewers. It will be just a short trip for the Phils and they will return home on Friday to take on the Diamondbacks. Ranger Suarez is set to throw on Tuesday and hopefully, the young lefty can bounce back after a rough couple of outings. If the Phillies we saw this weekend arrive in Milwaukee look out, because the Phillies are back.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Kyusung Gong
