It appears all good things must come to an end. That hot streak we were on felt like it would go forever. That sadly can’t happen. We are still in good shape. With a good lead for second place, there are still good things. Let’s dive in and discuss what went wrong!
If you thought the Phillies bats would disappear during Arietta’s performance and not Spencer Howard’s, then you weren’t the only one. They had their first game with less than three runs in thirteen games. The only real offense you were able to muster was from Rhys Hoskins, who went 1-4 with a solo home run. In the past twenty-four games, he averaged .311, with eight home runs, nineteen RBI’s, fifteen walks, and three stolen bases. We need more from guys not named Rhys Hoskins. We need to see more production from players like Bryce and J.T. Speaking of Bryce, that ejection was a joke. He was trying to have a civil conversation bout a play. The ump got prissy and threw him out. I have no issue with him attempting to get clarification.
I won’t be shaming him for the fly ball, either. That was Walker’s ball, sure Bryce has the better arm, but he didn’t need to call it when Walker was already in a position to grab it. Quinn and Bruce are sadly head to the injury list. Bruce reaggravated his previous injury, while Quinn hurt his head while going for a fly ball against the wall. With those two out, it will be Haseley’s time to shine. Here’s hoping he can step up to the plate.
Howard had an okay game. Some good and bad moments. He has times where his curve is leaving guys clueless. There are others when he is leaving his pitches hanging over the middle of the plate. He’ll work through it in my mind. In four innings, he allowed three runs on four hits, with one walk and three strikeouts.
The bullpen wasn’t awful, but they weren’t great. Suarez gave up the brunt of It with two runs on two hits and two walks. It was his first game back from COVID, so there has to be a little understanding of his first game back. You got to see David Hale bounce back from his awful debut. He gave up only three hits in 1.1 innings of work while striking out a batter. In five games, the pen has only allowed four runs. It’s a work in progress. I hope we can continue the improvement as The Sprint To The Finish rages on!
The Philly Blitz 