Phillies lose to Arizona again, drop under .500
Final Score: Diamondbacks 8, Phillies 7
Tonight’s game began under inauspicious circumstances. Zach Eflin was originally scheduled to make his first start since July 16. Instead, he was scratched in favor of Matt Moore after experiencing discomfort in his previously injured right knee. Also, the Phillies announced that recently-activated Rhys Hoskins would miss tonight’s game, along with all remaining games this season.
So it may not have been a big surprise then that the Diamondbacks – the team with the worst record in baseball – scored eight runs on 15 hits to beat the Phillies for the fourth time in nine days. Nick Ahmed hit a two-run homer in the fourth. Carson Kelly hit a 2-run, 409-foot bomb in the eighth, and the rest of the team took advantage of Phillies’ pitching with a constant carousel of singles (12 total). Christian Walker (from Norristown) reached base five times with four singles.
Jean Segura hit his ninth home run of the season, a 2-run opposite field shot in the fifth inning after Freddy Galvis reached on an error.
In fact, much of the Phillies offense came off of defensive miscues by Arizona – a Travis Jankowski triple, a Bryce Harper double, and two plays in the ninth inning that offered a modicum of hope for a dramatic comeback.
Ultimately the five runs in the ninth inning came too little, too late and the Phillies are now 5.5 games behind the idle Braves.
Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance
Zac Gallen: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO, 103 pitches (64 strikes)
The Somerdale, NJ native and Bishop Eustace grad cruised through the Phillies lineup, despite throwing over 100 pitches through five innings. He had a two-hitter working before allowing Jean Segura’s home run in the fourth. He also contributed offensively with two well-executed sacrifice bunts.
Matt Moore: 4 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO, 1 HR, 70 pitches (51 strikes)
Matt Moore threw strikes most of the night, unfortunately the Diamondbacks got their bats on many of them. Four consecutive singles in the second inning gave Arizona their first two runs. After Nick Ahmed took him deep in the fourth to give Arizona a 4-2, a chorus of boos rained down from the sparsely attended Thursday night crowd and Moore’s night ended soon after.
Phillies Nugget Of The Game
A defensive nugget for tonight: Bryce Harper ends the first inning with a dangerous sliding catch.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Friday, August 27 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park
- 7:05 p.m. ET
- Taylor Widener (2-1, 4.34 ERA) vs. Aaron Nola (7-7, 4.33 ERA)
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
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