Phillies bats, bullpen power them to win over Brewers

Just last week, the Milwaukee Brewers took the last three games of a four-game set against the Philadelphia Phillies, leaving a bad taste in the mouths of Phillies fans. Granted, the Phillies won game one of that series, only to be embarrassed the rest of the way out, but they started off their second series of the month with the Brewers by winning 6-4 Friday night.

The story of the evening wasn’t the Phillies starting pitching, as Jerad Eickhoff struggled for the second consecutive outing. But the Phillies offense and bullpen picked up Eickhoff.

The scoring started in the top of the first. Andrew McCutchen was able to lead off the game with a double into right-center field. McCutchen was able to advance on a Jean Segura ground out, and then was able to score on a Bryce Harper sacrifice fly. It was Harper’s first sacrifice fly of the season and it put the Phillies up 1-0.

The Brewers would strike right back in the bottom of the first. With two outs, Phillies-killer Ryan Braun recorded an infield single, which was followed by a Mike Moustakas double to center field. That double scored Braun and tied the game up at one:

Moose ties this game at 1 in the first with a RBI double that scores Brauny from 1st! #ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/BNrgtR6Bw6

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 25, 2019

In the top of the second, Cesar Hernandez was able to come through with a one-out double. With a man in scoring position, Scott Kingery was able to show why he was starting in the lineup by hitting a double of his own, scoring Hernandez and giving the Phillies a 2-1 lead.

Once again, the Brewers evened things up quickly. With two outs, Orlando Arcia delivered a 407-foot solo home run to center field, which tied the game up 2-2. It was Arcia’s fifth home run of the season.

The Brewers would take the lead for the first time in the bottom of the third inning. With one out, Christian Yelich delivered his league-leading 20th home run, a solo shot that would give the Brewers their first lead of the game. It was the third home run Yelich has hit against the Phillies in the last two weeks:

.@ChristianYelich didn't hit home run #20 until August 20th last year. Today is May 24th. #ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/g16ubYLum9

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 25, 2019

After the home run, Moustakas drew a walk. Following that, Yasmani Grandal hit a double to right-center field, scoring Moustakas and giving Milwaukee a 4-2 edge over Philadelphia.

Once again, though, the Phillies showed some spunk and were able to slowly chew away at the Brewers lead.

In the top of the fifth, Jean Segura was able to get a one-out infield single. Harper followed that up with a double to right field, scoring Segura and making it a 4-3 game. The Phillies could have gotten more runs that inning, but a fantastic catch by Lorenzo Cain on a Hernandez fly-ball saved some runs for Milwaukee.

In a somewhat surprising development, Vince Velasquez came out to pitch in relief in the bottom of the fifth inning. Earlier today, Gabe Kapler had explained that either Velasquez or Nick Pivetta would be starting Tuesday’s game. Velasquez notched four strikeouts in his two innings of work.

The Phillies were able to retake the lead in the top of the sixth. Kingery led off the inning with a double. After two straight strikeouts, McCutchen had his second double of the night, which looked like a home run until the last possible moment. That made the game 5-4.

The Phillies didn’t stop there. In the top of the seventh, Rhys Hoskins sent a solo shot deep to center field. It was Hoskins’ 12th home run of the season, and it gave the Phillies a 6-4 lead.

Rhys goes yard!

Phillies take a 6-4 lead. pic.twitter.com/ZiKZgORIaE

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) May 25, 2019

The Phillies bullpen may have been the story of the night, though. After a poor outing from Eickhoff, Velasquez, Seranthony Dominguez and Hector Neris pitched six scoreless innings. In the bottom of the ninth, Neris set the Brewers down in order, notching his ninth save in as many attempts.

With the win, the Phillies move to 30-21 on the season, staying ahead of the 29-23 Braves for first place in the National League East. The Phillies will go for their second win against the Brewers tomorrow evening.

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance

• Jerad Eickhoff pitched poorly, going three innings, while allowing five hits, four runs (all earned) and one walk. He only struck out one batter. Two of the five hits that Eickhoff allowed were home runs. Eickhoff’s struggles have continued from his last start, when he allowed four runs in five innings.
• Chase Anderson’s day was unspectacular. The pitcher went four innings, allowing three runs, six hits and no walks. He struck out four batters.

Phillies Nuggets Player of the Game: Rhys Hoskins

• It’s tough to narrow down a player of the game in matchups like these because so many players contributed tonight. But, home runs are always eye-catching. Rhys Hoskins went 2-4 tonight with his team-leading 12th home run of the season. He had an RBI and scored two runs.

Ticket IQ Next Game

• Saturday, May 25, Miller Park
• 8:05 p.m. ET
• TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
• Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP, WTTM 1680 (Spanish)