Hoskins’ return provides spark as Phillies take 2 of 3 in San Diego
Final Score: Phillies 7, Padres 4
Rhys Hoskins picked up right where he left off. Odubel Herrera stayed hot in August. J.T. Realmuto’s bat came alive. The offensive output from those three names combined with pure excellence from Kyle Gibson led to a Phillies victory.
Philadelphia’s lineup desperately needed a spark in this series as they mustered just nine hits total in the first two games. It’s also no secret that they had struggled mightily without Hoskins’ bat in the lineup the past few weeks. In the fourth and fifth innings, he gave the Phillies that spark with two solo home runs. The first of those two went a long way – 426 feet to left-center to be exact.
Herrera had a day to remember. With a two-run single in the fourth inning, he put the Phillies up 3-1 and that wasn’t all. In the seventh inning, he took a page out of Hoskins’ book with a 427-foot bomb to straightaway center. In his last at-bat, he posted his fourth hit of the day, a lead-off double. This month, he is now slashing .368/.421/.719 with 12 RBIs.
Prior to this game, Realmuto was just 1 for his last 15, but the Phillies catcher changed his fortune, going 2-for-4 in this one. His second hit of the day was a two-run shot to right field to extend the Phillies’ lead to 7-1. That was all the Phillies needed as they were able to fend off the San Diego Padres despite some trouble in the ninth.
If not for the wild collapse in Saturday night’s game, the Phillies would be just four games back in both the division and wild card race. Instead, they sit within five games of each at a point in the season where every game means so much. Philadelphia will head back home to face the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays looking to make up some ground in the race to October.
Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance
Kyle Gibson: 8 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 103 pitches
Gibson put multiple runners on base in the first few innings but consistently found his way out of trouble. His eight-pitch fourth inning helped him to stay out on the mound a bit longer. Gibson followed that up with four consecutive 1-2-3 innings and threw just 39 pitches in that span. He turned in his fourth quality start in as many tries since his arrival in Philadelphia.
Padres Bullpen: 7 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, 4 HR, 141 pitches
Craig Stammen was technically the starter but it was a bullpen day for San Diego. After two scoreless innings from Stammen, Ryan Weathers allowed three runs to cross the plate on 56 pitches in just two innings. Miguel Diaz followed suit allowing four runs on 56 pitches of his own. The Phillies offense was only quieted by Reiss Knehr who threw two scoreless innings after this one had already been blown open.
Phillies Nugget Of The Game
This offense desperately needed Hoskins back in the lineup. He provided a much-needed spark in his return.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Tuesday, August 24 vs. Tampa Bay Rays at Citizens Bank Park
- 7:05 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
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