OOTP 4/5: Phillies 2, Brewers 1

Beautiful Sunday afternoon here in Philadelphia. Hoping to see some offensive fireworks, the people that showed up to Citizens Bank Park were instead treated to a pitching performance that was a tad unexpected.

Vince Velasquez started the game, but had to leave with a hamstring injury. Luckily, Nick Pivetta, bullpen weapon extraordinaire, led the charge for a group of relievers that locked down the Brewers offense.

For the Philles’ own bats, there was just enough punch to scrap together a few runs, enough that the bullpen could protect. While the ball wasn’t flying out, the team did have three doubles, two by Logan Forsythe, who was giving Scott Kingery a breather. The big moment came in the seventh, when pinch hitter Neil Walker came in with the bases loaded and drew a two out walk, “driving” in the winning run for the Phillies.

The bullpen, as was said before, came up big today. With Velasquez exiting early, it was important for the team to get some quality innings today. Outside of Ranger Suarez giving up a double that scored a run, there was nary a blemish on the quintet’s record for the day. This was something that the team was looking forward to this season, one where the bullpen wasn’t a constant source of headaches. In the early going, it looks like they’ll be alright.

In even brighter news, it looks like virtal GM Me can close the deal where Matt Klentak cannot.

That’s right, virtual J.T. Realmuto has agreed to a contract extension with the team. At 4 years/$100 million, it seemed like the perfect marriage of length and money for the player and team. The negotiations had been ongoing since the beginning of the season, with some people asking for an astronomical extension (Realmuto asked for 8 years/$345 million), but a midpoint was reached.

Tomorrow, we’ll bring you the current standings and statistics of the team.