Final Score: Mets 4, Phillies 3
This was a tough game for Phillies fans who hate baseball’s newest rule changes. Philadelphia dropped the first game of a seven-inning doubleheader, losing in extra innings with a runner artificially placed on second.
Héctor Neris is credited with a loss and blown save after giving up two runs, one earned, in the bottom of the eighth.
The Phillies will call upon Aaron Nola to throw as many inning as he can in game two. They used Neris, Brogdon, JoJo Romero and Jose Alvarado, so they’ll be short of high-leverage options later.
Top Plays
- Dominic Smith continues to torture the Phillies. He launched a dead-center fastball to right field for a two-run shot. It was his ninth career home run against the Phillies and his second career round-tripper against Anderson.
- Just like he did on Sunday, Alec Bohm touched home plate on a sacrifice fly. A deep fly ball from Andrew Knapp pulled the Phillies to within one in the top of the second.
- The Mets’ woes with runners in scoring position continued in the third. A Rhys Hoskins miscue cost the Phillies a shot at a double play. With two chances to drive in Francisco Lindor home from second, Pete Alonso was called out on strikes and Jeff McNeil grounded out to Anderson.
- The Phillies had a chance to tie it in the next half-inning. After a Bohm walk and a Didi Gregorius single, Jean Segura hit a soft grounder to second for a 4-6-3 double play. It was a missed opportunity as it was clear Taijuan Walker was beginning to lose his command.
- With Hoskins up to bat and the tying and go-ahead run on base, Roman Quinn and Brad Miller attempted a double steal. The throw from James McCann went to third and while Quinn successfully stole the base, he fell off the bag and was tagged out by the third baseman Luis Guillorme for the final out of the fifth.
- JoJo Romero made his 2021 debut in the bottom of the fifth. Following a four-pitch walk to Nimmo, Romero rebounded and got Lindor to ground into a double play. It took only nine pitches for Romero to get through the inning.
- With two strikes, Jean Segura tied the game on an RBI infield single off Miguel Castro in the sixth. That’s his 28th career RBI against the Mets.
- Joe Girardi decided to use both his left-handers out of the bullpen in the first game, a decision that could have repercussions in game two. It was a relatively clean sixth inning for Alvarado if you take away the fact that he hit Michael Conforto with a 100 mph sinker. The Mets’ dugout, especially Smith, was not happy with Alvarado’s location.
- Brogdon got the call to pitch the bottom of the seventh, which is the equivalent of the ninth inning in a 2021 doubleheader. The first two batters reached base on a walk and hit-by-pitch but Brogdon got the final three outs against Nimmo, Lindor and Smith. It was a gutsy outing for the 26-year-old, who has looked like a stud so far.
- Gregorius drove in the go-ahead run on an infield hit that scored the ghost runner McCutchen. You can thank Bohm’s 10 pitch at-bat as well as McCann’s untimely pass ball for that.
- Alonso evened it in the next inning, scoring Lindor from second on a base hit off Neris. Jonathan Villar would eventually win it for the Mets on a single to left.
Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance
Chase Anderson: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO, 74 pitches
It’s a low bar, but Anderson’s job in this game was to not get crushed in the first or second inning to preserve the bullpen. The extra innings put a strain on the Phillies bullpen, but he did his part. Yes, his first pitch to Smith was an awful miss, but following the homer, Anderson allowed only two hits and induced six groundball outs.
Taijuan Walker: 4 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 SO, 80 pitches
The Mets definitely have something in Walker, who they signed to a two-year, $20 million contract shortly after pitchers and catchers reported to spring training. He struck out eight Phillies hitters, but walked three of the final six batters he faced. His velocity in today’s start maxed out at 97 mph, which is a huge jump from where he was at in 2020 (93 mph average on a fastball).
Phillies Nuggets Player of the Game: Dominic Smith
Is it too early to call Dominic Smith a Phillie killer? Probably not. Coming into this game, Smith was 42-for-144 lifetime against Philadelphia. His two-run home run in the first put his team ahead early on.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Game 2 of doubleheader vs. Mets at Citi Field
- 8:05 pm ET
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia+, ESPN
- Radio: 94 WIP
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