‘Frustrating’: Bryce’s perfect day at plate not enough for Phils
LOS ANGELES — For a second, it regarded like Bryce Harper had saved the Phillies.
He dropped a two-out single into left subject within the ninth inning on Wednesday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. The hit saved the Phillies’ hopes alive after a five-run lead within the third inning had changed into a one-run deficit within the eighth.
It sparked one thing, like so many late-inning hits in Harper’s profession. Nick Castellanos adopted with a stroll. Bryson Stott singled. Harper scored to tie the sport. But within the backside of the ninth, Max Muncy hit a first-pitch fastball from Craig Kimbrel into the right-field seats for a walk-off grand slam, sending the Phillies’ to a gut-wrenching 10-6 loss.
It left everyone within the Phillies’ clubhouse annoyed.
“That can’t happen,” Harper stated. “We just gave that game away. That cannot happen. With the way we want to do it this year and the way we want to play this year — every year — that just can’t happen. It’s a really good team over there. But a 5-1 game, our guy [starter Aaron Nola] on the mound, we’ve got to do better. We’ve got to be better.”
The Phillies opened this six-game street journey with a pair of spectacular victories in Houston to maneuver to a season-high two video games over .500. They misplaced Sunday’s collection finale in Houston, then obtained outscored 36-11 of their three losses in Los Angeles, giving the Phillies a 5.13 workers ERA, which is the second-highest mark within the National League.
It was simply the second time the Phillies have allowed double-digit runs in three consecutive video games since June 1958. It final occurred from Sept. 24-26, 2018, at Coors Field.
The pitching must be a lot better as a result of the offense can solely accomplish that a lot, even with Harper. He went 3-for-3 with one double and two walks in simply his second sport again from Tommy John surgical procedure. He sparked the Phillies’ four-run rally within the third with a one-out double to left.
It was a pleasant turnaround from Tuesday, when he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in his season debut.
“I calmed myself down a little bit,” Harper stated. “Like I said yesterday, pitch selection was huge. My dad says when I’m walking, I’m doing pretty good. Just slowing it down, right? Yesterday, I sped up a little bit. Today, I was more under control. Any time you’re a little fired up at the beginning of the season or whatever it is, it’s going to happen.”
It would have been a terrific story to have Harper bounce again Wednesday and assist ship the Phillies dwelling with a 3-3 street journey. Instead, they had been all the pieces that went fallacious.
The Phillies staked Nola to a five-run lead. He grinded by 6 1/3 innings, permitting seven hits and 4 runs whereas hanging out 5.
Phillies left-hander José Alvarado had been almost unhittable all season, hanging out 24 and permitting simply six hits and one run in 12 1/3 innings. But tasked with pitching the eighth inning, he gave up a single and a double to Miguel Rojas and James Outman, respectively, to place runners on second and third with one out. Trea Turner made a pleasant throw to the plate to maintain the Phillies’ lead at 5-4. Then Austin Barnes hit a ball immediately at third baseman Edmundo Sosa.
Inning over … besides Sosa missed.
“I should have caught that ball,” Sosa stated by the workforce’s interpreter. “That’s a play that needs to be made. Honestly, it wasn’t even a very difficult play. I just missed it.”
Harper, Castellanos and Stott’s two-out heroics within the ninth gave the Phillies hope, however Kimbrel loaded the bases with one out when Muncy homered to win it for Los Angeles.
“The ball ended up in the seats, and [with us] walking off the field,” Kimbrel stated. “That’s pretty frustrating.”
Frustrating for everyone.
“As a team as a whole, catch the ball, throw the ball, hit the ball and make the plays,” Harper stated. “When you play the game the right way, ‘play it sound,’ as they say, you win a lot of games. There were some mistakes made today. I think there were some mistakes made over the last couple of weeks that we just need to clean up, myself included. I need to play the game the right way. Just as a whole, I think we need to do better.”
