After a long rest due to the virus, were the Phillies able to turn it around and get back on track? Not exactly. They went against one of the hottest teams in baseball and many could have predicted the outcome. However as bad as we expected the game to be, it could have gone far worse. For only playing 3 games prior to this series, things could have spiraled out of control more so than it did.
For starters pitching. Arrieta for example, was pretty decent considering his up and down nature with the Phillies. In 5 innings he surrendered 3 runs, 7 hits, and struck out 4. With a high powered Yankee line up it wouldn’t have been out of the ordinary for Jake to be throw around for 5 plus runs during that time. In all honesty I would have given him another inning. Sure he gave up 3 runs during his 5 innings of work but with a 3-1 game and Arrieta pitching so so I would have risked it. Anything is better than throwing out the dangers that is the Phillies bullpen. I haven’t exactly second guessed the skipper much during his 4 games, this however would be one of them. I’d wager he didn’t wanna over due his veteran so early in the season.
Speaking of the bullpen just how bad were they? They were bad but not as bad as they could have been? Deolis Guerra went 0.2 innings and gave up 1 hit, 3 runs, walked 1 and also struck out one. On the season Guerra has pitched in two games and has a ERA of 16.20. The trio of Adam Morgan, Tommy Hunter, and Jose Alvarez fared much better. They combined for 2.1 innings pitched, 0 hits, 0 runs, allowed 1 walk and struck out 3. If they can just figure out who can be the guy for the 5/6 inning we might be able to salvage the pen.
With a up and down outing how did the hitting fair? I’d say solid considering the lay off and going against one of the best pitchers in baseball. In 6 innings against Gerrit Cole they got 5 hits and a run. The lone run coming off the bat of Adam Haseley. He’s honestly been one of the more underrated Phillies through 4 games. He’s batting 556, with 5 hits and 2 RBI’s. Jay Bruce also had another nice day at the plate with 1 hits, 2 walks and a RBI. Through 3 games he has 3 hits, is batting 300, and has 2 RBI’s. Jean Segura also scored a run and it marked the first hit of the season for Andrew McCutchen. In 3 innings against the Yankees relievers, we were able to muster 2 runs and 3 hits. Sadly not enough to make a comeback against the Yanks. With a 7 inning double header on the horizon, the Phillies will need the very best from their two star pitchers in Nola and Wheeler. Here’s hoping we can get back on track as The Sprint To The Finish continues in game 5/6!
The Philly Blitz 