The Phillies offense wasn’t able to support Jake Arrieta Saturday. (Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire)
Final: Twins 6, Phillies 2
If the Philadelphia Phillies miss out on the National League East crown or a National League Wild Card spot by a game or two in 2019, their April 6 loss to the Minnesota Twins will be one that they look back at and shake their heads. Here’s a look back at the Phillies first loss at Citizens Bank Park in 2019:
Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance
Jake Arrieta set the Twins down in order in both the first and second innings. The 33-year-old righty ran into trouble in the top of the third, however.
Twins center fielder Byron Buxton laced a one-out single into left field, before stealing second base. Buxton then advanced to third base on a groundout by Twins pitcher Michael Pineda, allowing him to capitalize when Jake Arrieta threw a wild pitch to Max Kapler. (For what it’s worth, Andrew Knapp, making his first start behind the plate of the season, had next-to-no chance to block Arrieta’s wild pitch.)
After the Twins took a 1-0 lead on Arrieta’s wild pitch, Kepler and catcher Willians Astudillo went back-to-back off of Arrieta, and they didn’t get cheated on the distances of their respective home runs:
MAXimum power!
??? power! #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/0Zj9T03of3
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) April 6, 2019
The Phillies cut into the Twins lead in the bottom of the fourth, when Rhys Hoskins hit a solo home run. Hoskins’ home run was his second of the season, and first since his Opening Day grand slam:
BIG
FELLA
BLAST#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/J5XTRenLof— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 6, 2019
In total, Twins starter Michael Pineda lasted five plus innings, allowing just two runs and throwing 80 pitches. After just his second start back from Tommy John Surgery, the Twins have to feel good about the start Pineda has had to open the season, where he’s allowed just two earned runs across nine plus innings.
Arrieta, meanwhile, had a strange game. His third inning was a relative disaster, Kepler nearly added another seventh inning home run and he only struck out one. However, Arrieta became the first Phillies starter to pitch seven full innings on Saturday, and he only needed 75 pitches to do so. After laboring through six innings of one-run ball in his first start of the season, it’s difficult to evaluate what the Phillies have gotten from Arrieta thus far and what to expect from the former National League Cy Young Award winner moving forward.
Missed Opportunities
The Phillies pulled within one run of the Twins in the bottom of the sixth, but they left more runs on the table.
The duo of Michael Pineda and Adalberto Mejia combined to allow the Phillies to load the bases in bottom of the sixth inning with no out out. Unfortunately for the Phillies, they were only able to scrape one run out of that inning.
Odubel Herrera swung first pitch with the bases loaded and no one out, and just missed squaring a ball up. Still, Herrera hit the ball deep enough in right field that it allowed Jean Segura to tag up and score from third base, with Bryce Harper advancing to third base.
Cesar Hernandez, who may be the one Phillie that’s had a slow offensive start in 2019, flew out to center field. Hernandez’s fly ball was shallow enough that Twins center fielder Byron Buxton was able to get behind it and throw out Harper, attempting to tag up and tie the game:
We’re gonna keep harping on how much we love La Tortuga. ?#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/1e9zcBAw9l
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) April 6, 2019
In the bottom of the eighth, Hernandez again came to the plate with the bases loaded, after Herrera reached base on a swinging bunt down the third base line. With two outs, Hernandez put the ball in play, but right at Twins first baseman C.J. Cron, who fielded it and tagged first base to end the inning.
This Phillies offense is so deep that even if they miss out on one or two key opportunities, so far they’ve found a way to still put five or more runs on the board. That didn’t happen Saturday afternoon, and it played a major role in the Phillies suffering just their second loss of the season.
Phillies Nuggets Player of the Game: Eddie Rosario
Eddie Rosario only batted once in Saturday afternoon’s Phillies-Twins matchup. But his one at-bat proved to be crucial.
After the Phillies failed to capitalize on a bases loaded situation in the bottom of the eighth, Gabe Kapler sent Seranthony Dominguez out to pitch the ninth, hoping he could hold the Twins lead at one. Instead, Dominguez walked Jonathan Schoop and hit Ehire Adrianza on the shin. After Byron Buxton flew out, Rosario put a ball in the air himself – only this ball exited Citizens Bank Park:
EDDIE! EDDIE! EDDIE! ???#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/Pd9lFWyP8G
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) April 6, 2019
Next Game
- Sunday April 6 vs. Minnesota Twins at 1:05 p.m.
- NBC Sports Philadelphia
- SportsRadio 94 WIP
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