After a promising start to their series Tuesday night, the Phillies dropped the final two games in a three game stretch against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Phils’ offense clearly slowed down as this series progressed, opening with 4 runs Tuesday, 3 runs Wednesday, before dipping to an abysmal scoreless outing on Thursday afternoon where they posted only 2 hits.
Beating the Brew Crew would have gone a long way in making the postseason, but the Phillies will simply have to return the favor when they head to the Brewers later in the season.
Game 1: 4-3 Phillies Win
The Phillies picked up right where they left off against the Padres on Tuesday night against the Brewers.
A first pitch solo-homerun for Kyle Schwarber got the party started and the Phillies would strike first with a run in each of the first three innings to open the game.
Aaron Nola was dealing on the bump and the bats were hot – as every Phillies hitter notched a hit during this game.
Nola went 7.1 innings and only allowed 2 earned runs on the night. Nola logged 6 strikeouts and allowed zero walks in this game. The electric righty looked great coming off the rest from the All-Star break.
Kyle Schwarber made an incredible grab in left field, which at the time preserved a perfect game bid in the 5th. The crowd of 35,302 (myself included) went crazy for Schwarbs, and it was a nice pick-me-up for a guy who has struggled on the defensive end this season.
Craig Kimbrel marched into the game and shut the door to earn his 16th save this season. He is 16/16 on the year and the Phillies’ All-Star is having a strong bounce back season. He has anchored the bullpen and is holding it down as the Phillies await the return of Seranthony Dominguez and Jose Alvarado from the Injured List.
It got dicey for a minute; however, the Phils managed to hang on to win this game 4-3.
Game 2: 5-3 Loss
Game 2 of this series did not bounce the Phillies’ way, as they lost 5-3 in regulation.
The Brewers got off to an early start on Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez, who suffered due to an error at third base from Edmundo Sosa.
Milwaukee struck for three runs in the second inning, putting the Phillies in a deficit to start the game.
It does seem, however, like the Phillies are never out of a game as they managed to get on the board in bottom of the fourth.
A solo home run for Nick Castellanos got things going for the Phils. It was Nick’s 14th homer of his All Star caliber season.
In the bottom of the 5th, Kyle Schwarber tied the game with a two run single. Good base running and a smart send by 3rd base coach Dusty Wathan allowed Brandon Marsh to score their third run of the contest.
Unfortunately, this was the last run the Phillies scored for the remainder of the game, and the Brewers quickly took the lead in the top of the 7th.
The Fightins had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the 9th, as two of their first three batters reached base safely.
Unfortunately, Bryson Stott was thrown out trying to steal second and Alec Bohm was subsequently retired on a strikeout as the Phillies dropped game 2.
Game 3: 4-0 Loss
Good looks weren’t the only thing going for Christian Yelich on Thursday, as the Brewer’s left fielder stole the show in the series finale.
The former MVP had three hits on Thursday, including a 3-run home run in the third inning. This gave the Brewers the lead and they did not look back, thanks to a dominant performance by Corbin Burnes.
Burnes tossed 8 scoreless innings, striking out 10 batters and only allowing 2 hits. The former NL Cy Young award winner has struggled this season but the Phillies’ lineup was no match for him Thursday.
Taijuan Walker pitched well himself, but allowing early runs really seemed to deflate the Phillies, as they just could not muster any offense against Corbin Burnes.
Not much happened in this game for the Phils as their record drops to 52-44 on the season. They are now only 8 games above the .500 mark and might slip out of their playoff spot depending on the outcome of games down the stretch.
The Phillies will head to Cleveland next for a short 3 game road trip, before coming home to host the red hot Baltimore Orioles in Citizens Bank Park. The next six games will be important for the Phillies, as they need to be able to gain some ground heading into the trade deadline period. A lot of answers need to be found this week, including if Bryce Harper can stick it at first base.
This is going to be big week for the Phillies, so buckle up Phillies fans, and make sure you’re following along at Philly Sports Network.
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
