If you missed the first 5 innings of the Phillies facing the Rays on Monday night, you missed absolutely nothing. The Phillies couldn’t muster a hit through the first 5 innings. Their only 2 baserunners came on 2 walks in the 1st inning.
Schwarber, Sanchez stay hot
On the mound, Cristopher Sánchez kept the Rays silent for 6 innings. He allowed just 4 singles and a walk while striking out 4. It was his 5th straight start of allowing 3 ER or less.
The game properly started for the Phillies in the bottom of the 6th. With 1 out, reign MLB Player of the Week Kyle Schwarber hit his 34th homer for the first hit of the night. The blast went 447 feet according to Statcast.
It became the bullpen’s game after that. In the 7th, Orion Kerkering kept on his hot streak. He struck out 1 in a clean inning. He has not allowed a run since August 15th.
After squandering a 1st and 2nd, no-out start in the bottom of the 7th, Jeff Hoffman became the next man out of the bullpen. Hoffman hadn’t pitched since Wednesday and it showed in the former of a 1st and 3rd opportunity for the Rays. He was able to regain form and strike out rookie Junior Caminero.
Unfortunate Circumstances
With the slimmest of leads, Carlos Estévez entered the game looking for his 5th save as a Phillie (25th overall). What happened next felt like one of the biggest heartbreaks in the 2024 Phillies’ season. Brandon Lowe pinch-hit for Jose Caballero.
On the 2nd pinch, Lowe drove a fastball to deep centerfield by Monty’s Angle. For a second, it looked as though Johan Rojas made a spectacular grab to rob at least extra bases. Instead, the ball got knocked loose as Rojas hit the wall and it went over the fence for a homer.
Later in the inning, Josh Lowe pinch-hit for Jose Siri. With a 2-2 count, he rocketed a ball off of Estévez’s left leg for a single. After a quick check, he remained in the game. He got the last out to keep things a tie headed to the bottom of the 9th.
Here Come the Phillies
Josh Lowe also made a fantastic catch on a Trea Turner liner in the bottom of the 9th. The Rays shifted from Manuel Rodriguez to Garrett Cleavinger after the 1st out. Bryce Harper immediately hit a single on the 1st pitch he saw. He admired the drive, thinking it was a walk-off homer. Rob Thomson revealed postgame that Harper ran over to him as soon as he entered the dugout to apologize.
After a Castellanos strikeout, Bryson Stott singled to get Harper into scoring position. Then a scene from a movie not unlike “Rudy” occurred.
Rob Thomson pinch-hit New Jersey local Buddy Kennedy for Cal Stevenson. Throughout the at-bat, the Phillies fans chanted “Buddy! Buddy!” in what felt like a high-pressure postseason moment. When he worked a walk, the crowd erupted.
Next up was Kody Clemens. The Phillies faithful continued the chanting for Kody (also a 2-syllable name). And don’t you know, he singled through 2nd base hole for a Phillies’ walk-off win.
“Ain’t that great?” said manager Rob Thomson on the chants. “It shows the passion [of the fans] once again.”
Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
