Wheels have come off: Mets 9, Phillies 0

Since many Phillies fans are also fans of the local NBA franchise, Tuesday night wasn’t a completely awful night for many of them. For Phillies fans who don’t care about basketball, or who cheer for a team from a different city, there was little consolation to be found. (Apologies to anyone who roots for both the Phillies and Brooklyn Nets. Tuesday must have been downright awful.)

Remember when I stupidly suggested that the Phillies’ series win last week was a sign that their struggles against the Mets were behind them? Tuesday night’s game was every bit as dreadful as some of the affairs we’ve endured over the past few years.

Bryce Harper was not enamored of umpire Mark Carlson’s strike zone on Monday, and I can’t imagine the Phillies were any happier with the calls on Tuesday. In the second inning, Zach Eflin appeared to have ended the frame by striking out Mets shortstop Luis Guillorme. However, the pitch was ruled a ball, and immediately afterwards, Guillorme singled to continue the inning.

Eflin could have escaped the inning unscathed, but opposing pitcher Zack Wheeler followed with a two-run double.

It looked like the damage would be limited when Brandon Nimmo hit a weak grounder to second base, but Cesar Hernandez let the ball go right through his legs, allowing Wheeler to score.

Sadly, Wheeler wasn’t done hurting the Phillies with his bat.

Meanwhile, the Phillies did very little on offense. They were limited to five hits, and the one time they came close to scoring a run, this happened:

Of course it was Jeff McNeil. I’m really starting to dislike that guy.

This is a rough stretch the Phillies are going through right now, but at least the fans can take solace that it’s still early in the season, and there are plenty of games left to play. That’s more than fans of the Brooklyn Nets can say right now.