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Hey, there's a pulse.
The Phillies managed to put up six runs en route to a 6-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night, ending their season-long losing streak at seven games.
Yes, the offense finally came alive when the Phillies needed it most, and best of all, they got to do it in some damn fine looking uniforms, as Retro Night took over at the ballpark.
I mean, really, we could just spend the entire time talking about the uniforms, modeled after what the Phillies wore in 1976. What can you say? The pillbox hats, the pinstripes, the high socks, it was all pretty well done. Yes, there are always a couple of touches missing, as some high socks used were red instead of maroon, and decals showed up on the red helmets (no maroon available, apparently), but overall, the threads looked pretty sweet.
And sure, we'll give some credit to the Brewers too, for going powder blue on us, and really, that always looks classic.
Taking it one step further, the graphics department always has a trick up their sleeves for these types of nights. Behold:
— chris jones¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (@LONG_DRIVE) June 3, 2016
this is great pic.twitter.com/IgS48otofp
— chris jones¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (@LONG_DRIVE) June 3, 2016
OK THIS IS THE BEST ONE pic.twitter.com/BsKCkx4rTl
— chris jones¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (@LONG_DRIVE) June 4, 2016
Well played. Well played. And hey, for the first time in a week or so, you could say that about the on-field product, too. The Phillies put up six runs on Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson, chasing him after just four innings. The major damage? An opposite field solo blast from Cameron Rupp in the 3rd inning to start the scoring, and a three-run homerun from Andres Blanco in the 4th to cap the scoring.
As the TV broadcast noted, it was the first time the Phillies had a multi-homerun game at home in 2016. That seems almost borderline impossible, but we'll have to go ahead and assume the professionals did their research on that one. Yikes.
The other good news? Maikel Franco had an RBI single in that three-run 3rd inning, Jimmy Paredes knocked in his first run as a Phil, and Tommy Joseph had two more hits.
The bad news? Vince Velasquez, once again, was unable to get deep into a game. It has become a problem for the young right-hander as of late. Velasquez has only gone past six innings once this season, his complete game back in April. He lasted just 4 1/3 innings on this night, allowed two runs, three walks and struck out six.
The slider simply was not working for Velasquez, and a 30-pitch 2nd inning didn't help his case. As Pete Mackanin pulled him from the game, there seemed to be a little exchange between player and manager, which manager quickly rectified in the tunnel after the pitching change was completed. Velasquez did not seem happy about being pulled, but there wasn't much Pete could do. It was the right decision.
Of course, that meant the bullpen would get some heavy work in, and they fared pretty well. Andrew Bailey, David Hernandez, Hector Neris and Jeanmar Gomez combined to get the final 14 outs and allowed just a lone run. That's the bullpen we had been getting used to.
A win is a win. Retro Night 2016 was a smashing success. Well, except for this:
MAY GOD HELP US ALL pic.twitter.com/wrAkbGuSef
— chris jones¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (@LONG_DRIVE) June 3, 2016
Yeesh.