Categories: 2023 Postgame Recaps

Phillies offense does too little, too late in loss to Padres

J.T. Realmuto homered in Friday’s loss. (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire)

Final Score: Phillies 8, Padres 3

Dan Bellino irritated the Phillies in the top of the third.

With one out and Ha-Seong Kim batting, Trent Grisham broke for second on a 3-2 pitch from Cristopher Sánchez. The sinker caught the top of the zone, but Bellino hesitated. Thinking the no-call meant ball four, Kim began walking toward first, in front of J.T. Realmuto, who held onto the ball.

Bellino then called strike three. Realmuto, caught off guard, hastily threw down to second, but it was far too late to catch Grisham. Instead, the inning continued, and Fernando Tatis Jr. annihilated Sánchez’s very next pitch for a two-run moonshot into the second deck.

Now, there are a few things the Phillies could’ve done to better place their frustrations. Realmuto could’ve thrown immediately (just in case) and drawn a batter’s interference call. Sánchez could’ve retired Tatis.

Or the offense could’ve scored more than one run before they trailed by seven in the ninth.

But they didn’t, and thus, it’s hard to blame Friday night’s second-half-opening 8-3 loss to the sub-.500 San Diego Padres on anything other than offensive ineptitude and an inability to keep the ball in the ballpark. The Padres hit four home runs on the night — superstars Tatis, Manny Machado and Juan Soto each went yard, along with Gary Sánchez — while the Phillies tallied just five hits in the game’s first eight innings.

Cris Sánchez was on the mound for the first two homers. Sánchez started the first game out of the All-Star break in an effort to give the Phillies’ rotation (especially Aaron Nola) even more time off before the stretch run. He allowed three runs in five innings.

Jeff Hoffman allowed the home run to Machado in the sixth, and Andrew Vasquez allowed two doubles and two sub-80-mph RBI singles in the seventh to give the Phillies — on this type of day with the bats — a seemingly insurmountable five-run deficit. Soto made sure it was indeed insurmountable, crushing a 434-foot two-run homer in the ninth off of Dylan Covey to put the Friars up seven and following it up with the slowest home run trot of his career.

It was that homer that made the ninth inning tough to swallow. The Phillies’ offense immediately came to life, with a leadoff J.T. Realmuto homer kickstarting a frame that saw the tying run reach the on-deck circle before Trea Turner struck out and Nick Castellanos popped out to end it.

It wasn’t a particularly inspiring way to start the second half. Luckily for the Phillies, losers of three straight, they have a chance to get back on track fast in Saturday’s scheduled day/night doubleheader.

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