Phillies drop heartbreaker in Queens, are now 10.5 games out of first place
Final Score: Mets 5, Phillies 4
NEW YORK — Eduardo Escobar’s game-winning RBI double in the bottom of the tenth secured a Memorial Day weekend Mets sweep over the Phillies. While trailing 3-1, Nick Castellanos gave the Phillies the lead with a three-run home run, but that moment of joy was fleeting as Mets prospect Nick Plummer handed Phillies closer Corey Knebel the blown save with a first-pitch home run in the ninth.
Former Met Zack Wheeler gave the Phillies another solid performance. After allowing three runs (two unearned) in the first, the right hander allowed only one hit from innings two through six, securing his fifth quality start in his last six outings.
The Phillies are now 10.5 games out of first place in the NL East and six games under .500 for the first time since 2017. Philadelphia now has a 6-14 record against divisional opponents this season.
The Phillies will not play the Mets again until August.
There’s a drive
Castellanos has been the poster child of the Phillies’ May struggles. Entering Sunday, the Phillies right fielder was batting .225 with a .626 OPS in May, his lowest in a calendar month since September 2020. With two on, two out and an 0-2 count in the eighth inning, his team needed a big hit to salvage anything from a disastrous weekend in Flushing. At the time, it appeared he came through with a three-run shot into the first row of seats in left field.
It was the sixth go-ahead run the Phillies have hit this season while trailing. The hit was also Castellanos’ third-career go-ahead home run in the eighth inning or later. Too bad it wasn’t the biggest hit of the game.
Call a Plummer
It was a work of art, really. With a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, closer Corey Knebel came into the game looking to get the final three outs against the bottom of the Mets lineup. The first pitch was a 96 mph cookie right down the middle for Plummer, who launched his first major league hit into the second deck in right field.
It was beautiful moment for the 25-year-old and yet another moment of misery in the Phillies’ yearbook of sadness.
Where are the fundamentals?
If your little league team played the kind of first inning the Phillies did, you would get an earful from your coaches when you returned from the bench.
With first and third and nobody out, Francisco Lindor hit a ground ball to first base. Rhys Hoskins went to second, but the throw pulled the shortstop Johan Camargo off the bag. He tried to salvage the play with a throw to home that was not in time. Hoskins was charged with a throwing error and everybody was safe.
New York went on to score the second run of the inning on a ball hit to what Erik Kratz characterized as “The Bermuda Triangle.” Hoskins, Jean Segura and Nick Castellanos all converged to the spot, but nobody could catch up to the ball. It’s a play that seems to happen quite a bit with the Phillies since they opt to play their outfielders a bit deeper than most teams to compensate for the lack of range in the corner spots. The tradeoff is for fewer balls that go over the outfielder’s head that result in extra-base hits. Fittingly enough, Luis Guillorme’s leadoff double in the first came off a fly ball that went over Kyle Schwarber’s head. To be fair, he probably wasn’t catching that ball anyway.
Shibe Vintage Sports Notes
- The Phillies are now 0-3 on Sunday Night Baseball in 2022. As far as we know, the Phillies do not have another primetime game on ESPN scheduled for this year, but that could change.
- Mets closer Edwin Diaz has struck out nine and allowed zero earned runs in his last four outings against the Phillies.
- After the game, the Phillies optioned left handed pitcher Bailey Falter to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Monday, May 30 vs. San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park
- 4:05 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Radio: Sportsradio 94 WIP
