Final Score: Phillies 4, Brewers 2
This afternoon, the Philadelphia Phillies, losers of three straight, were looking to avoid a a series sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers. Two of those losses came after late-inning offense wasn’t enough thanks to uncharacteristic outings by the club’s bullpen.
So after more late-inning offense today, Philadelphia’s group of relievers would once again be tested as their starter, Ranger Suárez, lasted just four innings.
Suárez, making his first start since Aug. 13 after a stint on the injured list, was on a pitch count that manager Rob Thomson kept a secret. Whether or not 75 pitches was the mark, that’s what Suárez left with after the fourth inning. He worked his way around a third-inning jam and finished his day charged with two earned runs on five hits.
Both runs Suárez allowed came on solo homers, one in the first inning by William Contreras and the other in the third by Mark Canha — owner of a 1.375 OPS against Philadelphia this year coming into today.
The lineup behind Suárez consisted of six right-handed hitters and three left-handed hitters to face lefty Wade Miley. The veteran southpaw kept the Phillies hitless through 5 2/3 innings, but after a Trea Turner single ended the no-no bid, Miley eventually left the game in the seventh charged with four earned runs.
The first run Miley allowed came on a Nick Castellanos double in the sixth, making it a 2-1 game. The next two came within a span of six pitches that started the seventh and gave the Phillies the lead.
Alec Bohm pulled a homer into the left-center field gap for a home run on the fourth pitch of his at-bat. J.T. Realmuto — owner of a .943 road OPS this season entering play Sunday — followed that up with a 433-foot home run to dead-center field that hit off the scoreboard.
Those homers marked the sixth consecutive game with multiple homers for the Phillies, tying a franchise record that was set back in 1969. Turner added another run to the board later in the seventh with a single, giving his club a two-run lead.
Philadelphia’s bullpen pitched scoreless innings in the fifth, sixth and seventh, meaning it would be on José Alvarado and Craig Kimbrel to secure a 4-2 win.
Alvarado, charged with four runs in Friday’s stunning loss, tossed a scoreless eighth inning with a pair of strikeouts. Kimbrel, who posted a 5.73 ERA in August, then entered in the ninth and closed out the win with a punch out of former Phillie Carlos Santana. All in all, the bullpen pitched five scoreless innings this afternoon — an important and encouraging development.
All wins are important, but Sunday’s felt especially crucial. The Chicago Cubs won their game against the Cincinnati Reds today, meaning they could’ve gained ground on the Phillies for the top spot in the NL Wild Card standings. But with their win, Philadelphia remains 2 1/2 games ahead of Chicago.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Monday, September 4 vs. San Diego Padres at Petco Park
- 6:40 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
- Spanish Radio: WTTM 1680
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