Three-hit day from Devers helps end Phillies’ winning streak

The Philadelphia Phillies came into Wednesday’s game at Fenway Park looking for their first five-game winning streak since 2018. Rafael Devers and the Boston Red Sox offense had something to say about that.

Led by a three-hit, three-RBI game from Devers, the Red Sox posted six runs against the Phillies pitching, taking the game by a score of 6-3. The Phillies now drop to 9-10 on the season.

Top Plays

• Red Sox starter Kyle Hart quickly loaded the bases in the top of the first inning by allowing a double to Andrew McCutchen and walking Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper. The Phillies plated two runs in the inning on an RBI single that the red-hot Phil Gosselin snuck into right field and a replay-overturned sacrifice fly from Didi Gregorius.
• J.T. Realmuto fired to first base to pick off Kevin Pillar for the second out of what would be a scoreless bottom of the first. Hoskins completed the play with an impressive tag to secure the out.

Here’s the J.T. Realmuto pick off throw from the bottom of the first inning pic.twitter.com/SKMdNDaRyt

— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) August 19, 2020

• Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers tied the game in the bottom of the third inning with a center-field home run off Jake Arrieta. The Phillies starter nearly allowed a second home run to designated hitter Xander Bogaerts, but Harper caught it right at the fence for the third out of the inning.

Here is the homer from Devers that tied the game in the third. pic.twitter.com/LXt7JLFUzP

— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) August 19, 2020

• The Red Sox would take a 3-2 lead on a sacrifice fly to center field by Jackie Bradley Jr. in the bottom of the fourth. Arrieta allowed just that one run in the inning, as he got the next two outs on a ground-ball double play by Tzu-Wei Lin.
• Arrieta allowed another run on an error by the first baseman Hoskins, who bobbled a ground ball and flipped it over the head of Arrieta as the pitcher covered the bag. Alex Verdugo came around from second to score easily as Arrieta’s throw home was late and well off the mark.
• Left-hander Adam Morgan would come in for Arrieta to get the last two outs of the fifth and all three in the sixth to keep it a 4-2 game. It was Morgan’s longest outing since he pitched two scoreless innings on April 15 of last season.
• Neil Walker pinch hit for Kyle Garlick in the top of the seventh and promptly hit a leadoff double off Red Sox reliever Ryan Weber. He scored when Hoskins grounded a ball to the shortstop Lin, who sailed the throw into the stands. Hoskins was awarded second and the Phillies cut the deficit to 4-3.
• After Hoskins reached on the error with one out, the Red Sox brought in reliever Matt Barnes to face Harper and Realmuto. The right-hander struck out the Phillies three- and four-hole hitters to escape the top of the seventh still up one run.
• Devers made his presence known again in the bottom of the seventh. Facing rookie reliever Ramón Rosso, he hit an RBI opposite-field double off the Green Monster to drive in Verdugo and make it a 5-3 game. Verdugo was almost caught stealing before the double, but Walker, who came in to play second, could not catch Realmuto’s throw.
• Barnes shut down the Phillies again in the top of the eighth. He retired Gosselin on a pitch off the plate that home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt called for strike three. Didi Gregorius worked a 14-pitch walk, but Barnes got Alec Bohm to ground into an inning-ending double play.
• Bradley Jr. extended the lead to 6-3 in the bottom of the eighth with an RBI double off Rosso. Right-hander Connor Brogdon relieved Rosso, and got all three outs in the inning.
• Brandon Workman closed out the game for the Red Sox to secure their win.

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance

Kyle Hart: 3 2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 0 HR, 73 pitches

The left-hander wasn’t excellent in his second outing of the season, but he kept his team in the ballgame. After Hart allowed three baserunners in the first inning before recording an out, it seemed like the Phillies may have had a big inning in store. Hart limited the damage and only allowed two runs, the only two that he would give up before being pulled in the fourth inning.

Jake Arrieta: 4 1/3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 79 pitches

This was the second start in a row that Arrieta did not look too sharp after his six-inning gem against the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 8. He struggled to consistently hit the corners of the strike zone like he did in that start versus the Braves. The two-run home run that Arrieta allowed to Devers was what really hurt most, as he left the game with the Phillies down by two.

Phillies Nuggets Player of the Game: Rafael Devers

A third-inning home run by Devers gave the Red Sox their first runs of the game. A seventh-inning double extended their lead. Overall, the Phillies did not have much of an answer for Devers, who had three hits for the second straight game.

Ticket IQ Next Game

• Thursday, Aug. 20. Doubleheader vs. Toronto Blue Jays, Sahlen Field, first game at 1:05 p.m.
• First game: NBC Sports Philadelphia+
• Second game: NBC Sports Philadelphia
• SportsRadio 94 WIP

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