Categories: 2023 Postgame Recaps

Phillies lose to Sonny Gray, ump show

Alec Bohm was ejected in Sunday’s game against the Twins. (Cheryl Pursell/Phillies Nation)

Final Score: Twins 3, Phillies 0

The Phillies are halfway through a four-game stretch of tough starting pitching matchups and the results so far are not pretty.

After Pablo Lopez threw six shutout innings against the Phillies on Saturday, Sonny Gray, a candidate for the AL Cy Young Award, did the same, but was subsequently taken out after just 80 pitches.

It was an opportunity for the Phillies to put runs across the board. They struck out seven times and made quick outs against Gray. No matter who the Twins summoned to put into the game, the Phillies’ chances were going to be better.

The bottom of the Phillies order loaded the bases following a pair of singles and a hit batsman in the seventh against new pitcher Griffin Jax. Kyle Schwarber had a chance to tie the game with a base hit.

It was his second opportunity with the bases loaded in the afternoon. He struck out swinging on a pitch that should have been ball four to end the inning and the best chance the Phillies had at scoring against Gray.

All he needed this time around was a fly ball, but instead, Schwarber popped up for the second out.

But the Phillies did have a favorable matchup up next. Alec Bohm vs. a lefty reliever with runners in scoring position seemed promising. He came into the at-bat 9-for-25 with 12 RBIs against lefties with runners in scoring position this year. The Phillies third baseman worked the count to 3-2 against lefty Caleb Thielbar. He took a pitch a few inches in off the plate and began walking to first base with the bat in his hand thinking he had an RBI.

But home plate umpire Alex MacKay called strike three. Bohm spiked the bat in frustration. After a few words, Bohm threw his helmet toward home plate and MacKay threw him out.

It wasn’t the last Phillies ejection of the game. Bryce Harper, with a 2-2 count, was called out on strikes on a low pitch. This one was much closer to the zone than the call that ended the Bohm at-bat, but it was still the wrong call. For the second straight inning, Thomson emerged from the dugout to argue balls and strikes. He was immediately thrown out and the Phillies went on to strike out two more times in the eighth to end the inning.

Harper stared down the umpire from the dugout following Thomson’s ejection.

“First of all, that’s the last job I ever want, being an umpire,” Thomson said. “I think it’s very difficult. You miss the call on Bohm, but like I said, we got other opportunities during that game to get things done.

The crowd of about 40,000 at Citizens Bank Park were agitated. They just watched their team struggle to do anything offensively for six innings and a bad call from a call-up umpire squandered their best chance to tie the game. “Ump you suck,” chants broke out the next inning.

The blown call in the seventh was a game changer, but the Phillies also needed to put together better at-bats early on against good starting pitchers. It’s the main reason why the Phillies dropped two of three to Minnesota and end the exciting homestand with a relatively disappointing 6-4 record.

On the other side, Ranger Suárez gave the Phillies another strong outing. He went 6 1/3 innings, struck out a season-high eight batters and allowed only two runs.

His next start will come next Sunday in Williamsport.

“The last couple outings, I’ve felt comfortable,” Suárez said through a team interpreter. “I felt that I had good command of my pitches in the strike zone.”

The challenge does not get easier for the Phillies, who are 65-54. They face Yusei Kikuchi (3.54 ERA) on Tuesday and Kevin Gausman (3.04 ERA) on Wednesday in Toronto.

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