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Miserable series against Orioles finally ends

Final Score: Orioles 11, Phillies 4

When first glancing at the 2020 schedule, it seemed as though the Philadelphia Phillies were at a disadvantage when it appeared they would only be playing the Baltimore Orioles three times as opposed to four or six times. Now, they’re glad to be seeing the young, pesky rebuilding Orioles on their way out of Philadelphia as they have swept the Phillies.

Neil Walker came in to pitch in the top of the ninth. (Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire)

After a rain delay that lasted one hour and 39 minutes, the Phils and O’s got underway. It was supposed to be a festive day as top hitting prospect Alec Bohm made his major-league debut. He got his first hit out of the way early as he doubled to left in his first at-bat. J.T. Realmuto also earned his first multi-home run game in a Phillies uniform and his first since Sept. 2018.

Unfortunately, that’s where the positives end. Jake Arrieta struggled against his former club in the fifth after throwing four solid innings. Tom Eshelman looked great against his former team and the Orioles lineup continued to feast off the historically bad Phillies bullpen. Neil Walker came into pitch in the ninth and stranded two runners to his credit.

The Phillies will begin their final series of the 12-game homestand against the rival New York Mets. The Phillies have not announced their starter yet for the first game of the series, but there’s a good chance it could be Spencer Howard. Mets ace and reigning NL Cy Young winner Jake deGrom gets the nod for New York.

Top Plays

Bohm’s first bit of action at the hot corner was a line drive right to him that he caught with ease. Without much hesitation, the 24-year-old threw the ball to first to get Hanser Alberto out at first for a 5-3 double play.
The new guy came up to bat for the first time in the second inning. With a 2-1 count, Bohm would drive a low and inside curveball down the left-field line for his first major-league hit. The Phillies would strand him in scoring position as the next batter Jay Bruce would hit a ground ball on a check-swing for an out.

With Harper on first and with no outs in the fourth, Realmuto punished Eshelman for leaving a 3-2 fastball over the plate by sending it to right-center field for a two-run home run. His sixth home run of the season gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead.

Playing his first game of the season at second base, Jean Segura made an incredible diving stop up the middle. Segura flipped to Gregorius for the second out but the throw to Walker at first came too late to get the hitter Pat Valaika. The Orioles scored their first run of the game in the fifth to make it a 2-1 game. For Arrieta, his scoreless-inning streak ended at 12.
Anthony Santander cleared the bases with a two-out double to right-center field to put the Orioles on top 4-2. Joe Girardi opted to pull Arrieta for José Álvarez following the at-bat.

In the top of the sixth, Roman Quinn had cut off a Núñez single in the right-center field gap. He threw an absolute laser to Bohm at third, who tagged out the runner Ruiz at third for the first out of the inning.
The O’s added onto their lead in the sixth, making it 6-2. Velasquez, who was making his first relief appearance of the season, gave up a two-out double to José Iglesias, easily scoring Valiaka and Alberto.

Making his MLB debut, Connor Brogdon immediately gave up a three-run home run to Pedro Severino. It was a tough break for the 25-year-old, who came into the game with two runners on and no outs.

In the bottom of the eight with two men out, Harper and Realmuto worked nine and eight pitch at-bats respectively against David Hess. The first resulted in a Harper triple and the second ended in Realmuto’s second dinger of the night.

Brogdon remained in the game in the ninth and surrendered his second home run of the night. This one came off the bat of Rio Ruiz. With no one warming up in the bullpen, Neil Walker came in to get the final two outs of the ninth.

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance

Tom Eshelman: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 68 pitches

Eshelman looked pretty good against his former club three weeks ago during an exhibition game in Philadelphia. In just his sixth career start, Eshelman limited the deep Phillies lineup to just two earned runs, setting himself up for his second career victory.

Jake Arrieta: 4 2/3 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 78 pitches

Arrieta was off to a superb start to the season, but that came to a halt in the fifth inning. Orioles hitters, who came into this first in the American League in batting average, worked a few lengthy at-bats against the 34-year-old and what transpired was an inning in which the O’s sent eight men to the plate and scored for four-runs on three hits.

Phillies Nuggets Player of the Game: Anthony Santander

As soon as Santander cleared the bases on his fifth-inning double, it’s almost as if the game was already won for the Orioles. With the Phils bullpen unable to keep the game close and the offense struggling to manufacture runs, Santander’s hit made a comeback seem insurmountable.

If we’re being honest with ourselves, Walker deserves some consideration for this nod.

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