Categories: 2023 Postgame Recaps

Phillies piggyback plan unsuccessful in loss to Braves

Cristopher Sánchez allowed three runs in his start tonight. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire)

Final Score: Braves 9, Phillies 3

Tonight’s game plan for the Phillies included a piggyback pitching situation with Cristopher Sánchez starting and Michael Lorenzen following in relief. The plan also likely called for the left-handed Sánchez and right-handed Lorenzen to cover most of the game to help reset Philadelphia’s bullpen.

One of the things about baseball, though, is that things don’t always go to plan. And tonight was one of those nights.

Sánchez covered four innings and allowed three runs on seven hits. That is certainly a serviceable outing against the Braves, who are regarded as one of, if not the best, offenses in all of baseball. Unfortunately for the Phillies, the piggyback plan was blown up in the fifth inning with Lorenzen on the bump.

The right-hander tossed 37 pitches, recorded one out and allowed four runners to score before being removed from the game. In order, Lorenzen gave up a single, another single, a walk, another walk, a double and one more walk to the first six batters he faced. The final hitter Lorenzen faced hit a sacrifice fly to put Atlanta ahead 7-0.

After a stellar first two starts with the Phillies, which included a no-hitter, Lorenzen has allowed 27 earned runs over 26 1/3 innings in six appearances since. It was once thought he could help provide length to a potential playoff bullpen for Rob Thomson’s club. If he can’t turn things around over the next week-and-a-half, it’s hard to imagine him taking down any meaningful postseason innings, though.

Altogether, the Sánchez-Lorenzen combination pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs on 10 hits.

Things didn’t get much better from there. Yunior Marte, who entered the game in relief of Lorenzen, allowed two runs in the sixth inning after getting out of a jam in the fifth. That came after the Phillies scored three runs a half inning earlier, bringing them within four of the Braves.

The three runs Philadelphia scored in their half of the sixth came off the bat of Bryce Harper. He pulled a liner out to right field for a three-run homer.

Harper came into today with a .368 slugging percentage in September. However, he now has a double and a pair of home runs over his last three games. If he can get going again, it’d surely help the Phillies offense, which has been inconsistent this month after a historic August.

Outside of Harper’s long ball, Philadelphia couldn’t get much of anything going against Atlanta starter Spencer Strider. The righty finished his evening with seven innings pitched, 11 strikeouts, no walks and just those three earned runs to his name.

With this loss, the Phillies fall to 8-10 in September and 82-69 overall. They’ll face the Braves one final time during the regular season tomorrow afternoon and will send Aaron Nola to the mound with the hopes of a series win.

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