Categories: 2020 Postgame RecapsNews

Phillies outmatched by Yankees’ power, Cole’s strong outing in first game of series

FINAL: Yankees 6, Phillies 3

Although it was over a week since the Philadelphia Phillies lost their last game to the Miami Marlins, the team’s play on the field Monday night picked up right where it left off.

Jake Arrieta took the loss against the New York Yankees on Monday. (Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire)

The Phillies were no match for the New York Yankees’ three home runs and strong pitching performance from ace starter Gerrit Cole at Yankee Stadium. The loss brings the Phillies’ record to 1-3 to start the year.

Top Plays

Cole put the Phillies down in order in the first inning. The first-year Yankee got some help from third baseman Gio Urshela, who fielded a ground ball to his right and made the throw from foul territory to get Rhys Hoskins for the second out.
Leadoff batter DJ LeMahieu got the Yankees off to a strong start, homering to right field against Phillies starter Jake Arrieta to start the bottom of the first inning:

Arrieta limited the damage following LeMahieu’s home run, exiting the first inning with just a 1-0 deficit after inducing a ground-ball double play from Giancarlo Stanton.
Phillies designated hitter Jay Bruce tied the game 1-1 in the top of the third with a home run to right-center field off Cole. Bruce connected on a 98.7 mph fastball to give the team its first hit and first run of the game:

An opposite-field home run in the bottom of the third from Brett Gardner gave New York the lead once again. Gardner, batting in the eighth spot in the lineup, snuck a ball over the left field fence for the Yankees’ second homer off Arrieta. The Phillies starter would later give up another run on consecutive two-out doubles to outfielders Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks, leaving the inning down 3-1.

The Phillies could not capitalize after getting two singles from Bryce Harper and Didi Gregorius in the fourth. With runners on first and second and one out, Cole got Jean Segura to hit into a double play to end the inning.
The bottom of the fourth inning was all Arrieta. The right-hander struck out all three Yankees hitters he faced swinging to keep the score 3-1 after four. He would also pitch a scoreless fifth inning, only surrendering an infield single to LeMahieu.
The former Yankee Gregorius, playing his first game at Yankee Stadium since leaving the team before the 2020 season, narrowly missed tying the game for the Phillies on a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth. The ball had enough distance, but went right of the foul pole in right field for a foul ball. Cole would get Gregorius to pop out to escape the inning unscathed.
Urshela broke open the game for the Yankees in the bottom of the sixth with a three-run home run off a changeup from Phillies reliever Deolis Guerra. Guerra allowed two baserunners on a walk and hit by pitch to start the inning, before Urshela’s home run extended the lead to 6-1:

Following a rain delay of approximately one hour, Yankees reliever Brooks Kriske came in to begin the seventh inning for Cole. He surrendered an RBI single to Adam Haseley, who brought the Phillies within four runs. The next inning, left-hander Luis Avilán gave up an RBI single to Segura, making the score 6-3 after eight innings.
Yankees closer Zack Britton pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn the save and secure a 6-3 victory for New York.

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance

Jake Arrieta: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 2 HR
Extra base hits in the early innings soured the 34-year-old’s first start of the season. Still, Arrieta looked fairly sharp in the fourth and fifth innings once he settled into the game. He pitched five innings, surrendering three runs, seven hits, no walks and earning four strikeouts.
Gerrit Cole: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HR
Cole cemented himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball during his time as a Houston Astro, and that type of performance seems to be carrying over to New York. Bruce’s solo home run was the only blemish throughout Cole’s night, as the $324-million man threw six innings of one-run baseball, giving up five hits and striking out four.

Phillies Nuggets Player of the Game: Gio Urshela

Urshela set the tone in the first inning on defense, and all but wrapped up the game in the sixth inning at the plate. The 28-year-old put his team up five runs with his three-run home run off Guerra. Urshela now has three home runs and nine RBIs so far this season.

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