The slow trot of victory: Phillies 6, Mets 0

For the first seven innings of the game, it looked like the Phillies were headed for another disappointing loss to the Mets. They may have held a lead, but it felt extremely tenuous. But the offense eventually showed some life, Rhys Hoskins exacted revenge, and the Phillies emerged with a very needed 6-0 win.

Vince Velasquez got the start for the Phillies, and this may have been the most Velasquez-ish game he’s ever pitched. Staked to a 1-0 lead in the first, he loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning, but then pitched his way out of it. In the third, he had two runners in scoring position, and then struck out two batters to get out of the jam. In the end, he pitched five shutout innings that displayed exactly why many fans are tired of him, and why the team is reluctant to give up on him.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Phillies’ bats woke up. Hoskins led off with a triple, and Maikel Franco wasted no time in driving him home. The Phillies added two more, one of which came thanks to Roman Quinn’s RBI bunt single. Of course, this being Roman Quinn, he managed to injure himself on the play and had to leave the game.

In the ninth inning, Rhys Hoskins came to the plate against Jacob Rhame, who had thrown a pitch perilously close to Hoskins’ head the night before. Hoskins showed Rhame exactly how he felt about that.

The Phillies’ bullpen pitched four innings of shutout ball to preserve the victory, and salvage a much-needed win in the series. It’s been a rough week, but after this win, and four games against the Marlins pending, the Phillies’ outlook seems much brighter than it did the day before.