Phillies look to get back on track after season’s weirdest defeat
Roman Quinn would have never expected to experience the game he had yesterday in a million years. In one night, he hit a second-deck home run and was the losing pitcher. He also became the first player in the modern era to hit a home run, steal two bases and pitch in a single game. (Destiny Lugardo/Phillies Nation)
The Phillies were a combined 2-13 with runners in scoring position on Friday. Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins, J.T. Realmuto and Scott Kingery went 2-24. The team left 15 men on base. Ineptitude on offense was the main culprit in last night’s defeat. I’ll leave it at there and ignore all the wacky stuff in between.
Vince Velasquez ‘s play in left field, Roman Quinn‘s arm and Gabe Kapler‘s decison-making have stolen the headlines, but inevitably, last night’s loss and almost all of the 51 other losses the Phillies have suffered this season are all of the same derivative: the players who are most expected to perform when it matters most failed to step up.
As always, there is very little time to dwell on yesterday’s loss. The players in both clubhouses will be forced to quickly recover from those cringe-worthy final few extra innings and do it all again in just a few hours.
Luckily for the Phillies, Aaron Nola is scheduled to take the mound. The pressure will be on Nola to both deliver a solid outing and eat up innings as last night’s 15-inning game has almost completely depleted the bullpen (and Roman Quinn). He has yet to throw a compete game in his major league career. If he were somehow able to pull that off tonight, it could not come at a better time.
Here’s everything you need to know for Bobby Abreu Wall of Fame Induction Night…
Phillies Lineup
- Cesar Hernandez, second base
- Jean Segura, short stop
- Bryce Harper, right field
- Rhys Hoskins, first base
- Sean Rodriguez, left field
- Adam Haseley, center field
- Maikel Franco, third base
- Andrew Knapp, catcher
- Aaron Nola, pitcher
White Sox Lineup
- Leury Garcia, center field
- Ryan Goins, third base
- Jose Abreu, first base
- Jon Jay, right field
- Eloy Jimenez, left field
- Tim Anderson, short stop
- Yolmer Sanchez, second base
- Seby Zavala, catcher
- Ross Detwiler, pitcher
Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Matchup
- Aaron Nola (3.72 ERA, 4.30 FIP, 3.97 xFIP) vs. Ross Detwiler (6.35 ERA, 6.84 FIP, 4.73 xFIP)
- Nola is making his first career start against the White Sox. He has fared well against American League Central opposition this season. It should be noted, however, that he opposed the Detroit Tigers, who are only marginally worse than the White Sox, in his only two starts against the division. Nonetheless, he has a 1.42 ERA in 12.2 innings across those two starts.
- Longtime Washington Nationals pitcher Detwiler has plenty of experience pitching against the Phillies as both a starter and reliever. In 18 career appearances, including 8 starts, Detwiler is 3-5 with a 4.20 ERA.
Pregame Phillies Nuggets
- Per MLB.com’s David Adler, Vince Velasquez 15th inning diving grab had a 15% catch probability. Any catch made with a probability between 0 and 25% is considered a 5-star catch. He is the first Phillies outfielder to make a 5-star catch this season.
In a recent Philadelphia Inquirer article, Matt Breen sat down with Bobby Abreu, asking him what it was like to watch his former team win the 2008 World Series without him. He revealed to Breen that he wasn’t bitter at all when his former club won it all. In fact, he popped champagne in celebration of Brad Lidge‘s final out and the Phillies first championship since 1980. Abreu had this to say about his feelings about the Phillies magical run and the organization as a whole:
I know they [the Phillies] built the team so hard to win the championship and I was there the years before that and knew how hard my teammates worked. I’m very happy for them. I know I wasn’t a part of it, but in my heart I’m a part of it. I’m a Phillies player and I’m a member of the Phillies family.
- This is highly unrelated to tonight’s game, but it’s a positive nugget worth noting. Today, the Chicago Cubs activated Cole Hamels from the IL. He has been out since June 28 with an oblique injury. If all goes well in the next couple weeks and if both the Cubs and Phillies keep the same rotation order, Phillies fans will be treated to a dream matchup of Aaron Nola vs. Cole Hamels on August 14 at Citizens Bank Park. Get your tickets while you can!
Ticket IQ Programming Information
- 7:05 P.M at Citizens Bank Park
- NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Sportsradio 94 WIP; WTTM 1680 (Spanish)
