The Philadelphia Phillies cannot wait to leave New York. Every team is better in their own house than on the road, that is expected. Heck, only four teams across the league are above .500 outside their stadium. But Citi Field is a different animal for these Phillies.
They lost Wednesday night, getting swept for the second consecutive trip to Queens. It marks win No. 10 in a row when playing in the Mets’ home ballpark. Philly needed to rely on Taijuan Walker to try and save it and while he gutted his way through five, surrendering four runs on ten hits and a walk.
The story of the first two games was emotions from Philadelphia’s starting pitchers and lack of production with runners in scoring position from their hitters. Tonight, the offense saw almost no opportunities as New York’s rookie starter, Nolan McLean, was lights out.
Philly had a chance to bury New York in this series. Instead, they gained three games in the division and maybe more importantly – they’re now four games up on the Cincinnati Reds for the final Wild Card spot. The Phillies breathed life into a stumbling Mets squad. September just got a lot more interesting. Let’s dive into Wednesday night’s loss.
Nolan McLean stifles Phillies hitters
Looking at McLean’s first two starts, he appeared to be impressive. Seeing him attack the veteran-laden Philadelphia lineup Wednesday night – he confirmed what the box scores showed. He mixed and matched against the lineup all night long, using his full arsenal in a mostly even share.Here was his pitch mix tonight:
- Sweeper:28%
- Sinker: 22%
- Curveball: 18%
- 4-Seam Fastball: 16%
- Change-up: 10%
- Cutter: 6%
His sweeper and curveballs both had great movement and looked almost identical out of his hand, the change-up surprised more than one Phillies hitter, and his different fast pitches allowed him to create the triangle effect. McLean had something to handle hitters on both sides of the plate. He had total control of every one of them.
McLean surrendered only four hits and zero walks, while striking out six batters over eight innings pitched. He became the only Met in history to win their first three games. He now has a 3-0 record with a 0.89 ERA to start his major league career.
Phillies put 12 balls on the ground against the right-hander – eight ground outs and all four of their hits.
Weirdness in the field
New York opened the scoring in the third inning but it wasn’t all earned on the cleanest of plays. While no errors were recorded, and rightfully so, there were some odd moments. Catcher Hayden Senger tried to give the Phillies an out by bunting Brett Baty to third after a leadoff double. The ball seemingly took off once it hit the ground and zipped past the slick fielding Walker all the way our to shortstop.
Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto both singled to drive in two with no outs. The third run of the frame crossed when Pete Alonso hit a hard hopper that deflected off the glove of third baseman Alec Bohm. Odd moments from reliable fielders, but the Mets continued what they did all series – put the ball in play.
Offensive differences
Not much to dive into here. Philadelphia was not able to put the ball in play. Whether it was pressing or excellent execution from New York’s pitchers, the result was the same. Mets hitters pummeled the ball, delivering 38 hits over the three games. More importantly, they kept things rolling by coming through when needed. They finished the series 21-for-37(!!) with runners in scoring position.
Not only is that more than double the league average with RISP, but to have 37 opportunities is a testament to how they played as a team, passing the baton to the next guy – something Phillies manager Rob Thomson has preached since first arriving in Philadelphia. New York’s offense only had eight extra-base hits in the series. It was all about keeping the line moving.
Philadelphia, on the other hand, seemed to never get things going. They had some opportunities in the first two games, but couldn’t come through. 1-for-9 in game one, 2-for-10 in game two, and 0-for-3 in game three isn’t enough to get it done and is indicative of a team trying to do too much. It was obvious watching that the Mets were able to use the entire field. The Phillies were not.
They didn’t show it during post-game interviews, but I would imagine there will be a lot of sighs of relief on the team buses as the Phillies return home for a weekend set against the Atlanta Braves. Don’t let their 61-72 record fool you – this is a hot team who are winners in 14 of their last 20 contests. Divisional match-ups are always tougher
Kyle Schwarber told reporters post game that they need to “tip the cap and move on.” Tip a cap, burn the tape, flush it all away. Whatever you need to do to put that fun-house mirror of a ballpark and series behind them, because it doesn’t get easier from here. September is around the corner. The pressure is on.
