A weekend series in Pittsburgh kickstarted the second half of the Phillies season. After a Friday night meltdown and a Saturday evening letdown, the Phils needed to respond positively on Sunday.
Trying to avoid dropping their fourth straight ball game, the club sent rookie Tyler Phillips to the mound as a stopgap. The hometown starter has become a fan favorite since his recent call-up from Triple-A and the lifelong Phillies fan is living his dream. More importantly, he is giving his favorite team a chance to win and that is all that Rob Thomson can ask for.
Phillies Score First
In the top of the second inning, All-Star Alec Bohm would get the action started with a leadoff single. A couple of batters later, Edmundo Sosa would double, moving Alec over to third base.
This gave the Phillies their first opportunity to score with runners in scoring positions. Wes Wilson hit a sacrifice fly to center field, both scoring Bohm and moving Sosa to third. This is the definition of a productive out.
With Edmundo Sosa at second, Garrett Stubbs would tack on another run. Stubbs singled to right field, scoring Sosa to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead. The Phillies have won 10 of the last 15 games when Garrett has started behind the plate.
Phillips Settles In
Tyler Phillips has been exactly what the Phillies needed with injuries in their starting rotation. The rookie right-hander has filled in quite nicely in the absence of Spencer Turnbull and Taijaun Walker.
Phillips tossed six scoreless frames in Pittsburgh this afternoon. He induced seven ground ball outs, keeping the Pirates’ offense off-balanced. Tyler does not contain a highly explosive arm like Zack Wheeler but he is able to pitch to both sides of the plate, similar to Ranger Suarez. He did notch three strikeouts in the ballgame and allowed just one walk.
Anytime it seemed like Pittsburgh might get some offense going, a key out would follow. During the bottom of the fourth, a beautiful 5-4-3 double play helped wipe out a potential Pittsburgh reply.
Tacking On Runs
The Phillies did not stop with just two runs on Sunday afternoon, supplying their young pitcher with plenty of run support late in the ballgame.
In the top of the 7th frame, the Phillies would capitalize on a poor error from Pirates’ shortstop Oneil Cruz. A routine play saw Cruz drop the ball at second base. After the Phillies successfully challenged the call, they would be rewarded with runners at first and second.
Trea Turner then drove a ball the opposite way, scoring Garrett Stubbs from second base and moving Kyle Schwarber from first to third. This was an example of heads-up baserunning from Kyle, which would be repaid with the next batter. Bryce Harper hit a ground ball to second on what should have been a double-play ball. Pittsburgh only got one out on the play, allowing Schwarber to score from third base.
Trea Turner had advanced to second base and would score on the following single by Alec Bohm. This snapped a 13-game streak in which Alec had not had an RBI. This gave the Phillies a 5-0.
Castellanos Goes Deep
Earlier in the ballgame, Nick Castellanos barely missed a home run. He smashed a ball off the base of the right-centerfield wall, giving himself a leadoff double.
In the top of the 9th inning, Nick would not miss this one.
A deep drive to right field by Castellanos made it a 6-0 ballgame. This was the exclamation point on the first second-half victory for the Phillies and they were available to avoid the sweep. They are the only team in Major League Baseball to not have been swept in 2024.
The Phillies head to Minnesota next to play the Twins. They will then return home to host the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees. The next five series for the club will be against teams who are currently in the playoff picture. It will be a challenge but if the Phillies can power through, they might just set themselves up for a division title.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee
