Queens, New York has been a terror for the Philadelphia Phillies as of late. Monday’s 13-3 loss started with a 3-0 Philly lead, and things got out of hand fast. Regular season, playoffs, doesn’t seem to matter when the Phillies travel up north to face the Mets over the past calendar year.
After losing eight straight and nine of their last 10 at Citi Field, Tuesday night started to feel like it inched toward “must-win” territory. The emotions shown in the Philadelphia dugout felt like the Phillies used a solid night from Bryce Harper and a jolt from Harrison Bader to erase a tough fifth inning from their pitchers. Jesús Luzardo and Orion Kerkering combined to surrender five in the frame, but the offense picked them up.
It looked like they were headed to extras, but it was not to be as the nightmare in Queens continued. The Mets have seemed to play with an urgency across the first two games of the series – like they had to beat the Phillies. The vibe from afar in Philadelphia’s dugout just doesn’t feel the same.
Emotions continued to run high from the starting pitcher, the lights-out closer did something he’s never done before, and a broadcaster called the ending moments before it happened. Another weird one in N.Y. Let’s dive into Tuesday’s 6-5 walk-off loss.
Phillies pitchers emotions overflow again
Monday night, Cristopher Sánchez had an uncharacteristic night – both on the mound and in the dugout. The typically calm, level-headed left hander was seen kicking and throwing a trash can after a tough fourth inning.
Shortly after, the game spiraled – mental mistakes, pitches catching too much of the zone, and Phillies hitters going 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position led to a 13-3 loss. Rough
Luzardo, also typically a mellow presence on the bump, allowed his frustrations to grow throughout the game. Early, he did well at keeping his emotions under wraps after some questionable calls from the home plate umpire Willie Traynor – including a late time out called being granted even later.
While the game didn’t spiral, and the calls were questionable for both teams all night – after three more mostly poised innings and his team giving him a lead, it all fell apart in the fifth.
With only 69 pitches entering the frame, Luzardo went: HBP, Single, Single, Walk – leaving the bases loaded with one run in for the Mets. Manager Rob Thomson came to make a change, and the left-hander expressed his frustrations to Traynor, resulting in an ejection (WARNING: NSFW language below)
Thomson handed the ball to Orion Kerkering, who went: Double, Single, Sac Fly, and Walk – surrendering four more runs before recording the final two outs. Kerkering continues to be put in tough positions, coming in with traffic on the bases. It hasn’t worked. Despite allowing 14 of the 30 runners he’s inherited to score, Thomson stuck by his young right-hander: “I trust him, I really do,” the manager told reporters post game.
Offensive woes at Citi
After the aforementioned 1-for-9 performance with runners in scoring position, Philadelphia’s offense followed that with a 2-for-10 performance Tuesday. They have begun swinging wildly, with 21 swing-and-miss on the night. New York is playing with urgency, Philadelphia looks like they’re just playing. Every team is better at home, but this particular building seems to haunt this era of Phillies.
Since 2022, the start of their playoff runs, the Phillies have a 6-22 record, including postseason, at Citi Field. They’ve lost nine straight, and 10 of the last 11. If they face each other in the playoffs again, no fan will be confident walking into New York.
The evidence goes beyond the record, because weird things can happen to cause a loss here and there – but their offense is among the league’s worst in Queens.Over the same time frame mentioned above, overall the Phillies have a combined slashline of .254/.323/.427. That .750 OPS ranks third in the majors since 2022.
When they play at Citi Field since 2022? – .217/.291/.324 with a higher strikeout rate and lower walk rate than their norm over that time. That gives them the No. 24 ranked OPS at Citi Field over the past four seasons (and playoffs). Eliminate the teams who rarely play the Mets, and there are 14 clubs with 10+ games played at Citi Field over that time – Philly would be ranked No. 13 in OPS, No. 10 in K%, and No. 12 in B% – that won’t get it done against anyone in their home ballpark.
In Conclusion
Phillies stayed in it. A two-run home run from Harrison Bader tied things up, and Thomson sent his new high-powered closer to the hill to send it to extras – or so he thought. Jhoan Duran had a performance he’s literally never had before, allowing four straight hits to the first four batters of the inning. Mets walk it off, Phillies fans hearts broken through the region.
The players and manager can’t consider this place a “house of horrors” as some have referred to it as, at least not publicly. Ben Davis on NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Post Game Live said it has to be on their minds. The evidence shows it might be. Different faces each year, but the same result.
Phillies broadcaster and former player, John Kruk, noted that Philly’s shortstop, Trea Turner, seemed to be playing too far up the middle based on the hitter and the velocity of his pitcher just moments before Brandon Nimmo delivered the dagger. That type of foreshadowing is typically only seen in movies.
Wednesday’s series finale feels about as “must-win” for fans as a game in August can. For the club, it would mean avoiding a second straight sweep in the Mets house. It would also mean keeping a six game lead in the division. It would also give them a slim chance to keep the tie breaker over the Mets alive.
Taijuan Walker is taking the pill for Philly. Can his resurgence as a starter continue against his former team? Or will he face the same emotions his rotation mates did before him?
