Categories: 2021 Postgame Recaps

Phillies offense struggles again in third straight loss

Zack Wheeler bounced back from a tough first inning in his start Wednesday. (John Adams/Icon Sportswire)

Final Score: Mets 3, Phillies 1

After winning five of their first six games to begin the season, the Phillies have now done the inverse with a loss to the New York Mets on Wednesday. At 6-6, the Phillies are .500 for the first time all season.

Similar to both of yesterday’s games, the Phillies offense just couldn’t get anything going despite a relatively strong outing from starting pitcher Zack Wheeler. They have scored just four runs total in the first three games of this series.

Tomorrow, the Phillies will face Jacob deGrom, which is not likely to help with their offensive struggles. They will look to avoid a four-game sweep, although rain in the forecast may prevent the game from being played at all.

Top Plays

The Mets took an early lead in the first inning, which started with three straight singles by Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Lindor and Dominic Smith.
Pete Alonso followed with a ground ball double play that scored Lindor from third and gave the Mets a 2-0 lead.

The Phillies, meanwhile, could not get anything going. They had just one baserunner in the first four innings, but finally got a run in the top of the fifth when Jean Segura hit a home run to make cut the Mets’ lead in half.

The Mets threatened in the bottom of the sixth and got runners on the corner with just one out on base hits by Jeff McNeil and James McCann, but Wheeler was able to work out of the jam.
The Phillies threatened with runners on first and third with just one out in the top of the seventh, but pinch hitter Didi Gregorius grounded into an inning ending double play.
The Mets added onto their lead in the bottom of the seventh. Wheeler allowed back-to-back singles to Lindor and Smith with one out, and was replaced by reliever Sam Coonrod. Alsonso hit a sacrifice fly off Coonrod to extend the lead to 3-1.
JoJo Romero allowed the Mets to add two more in the bottom of the eighth on a two-run home run by James McCann that effectively put the game away.

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance

All in all it was a fine outing for Zack Wheeler, considering the Mets scored two runs before he had finished a single inning. After that first inning, Wheeler settled in and gave the Phillies a chance to win. The decision to leave him in for the seventh inning, when he allowed a third run, will probably be questioned, considering he was about to eclipse 100 pitches.

The Phillies shelled David Peterson in his first start of the season, but Wednesday was a different story. Peterson carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning and allowed just two hits while striking out 10.

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