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Back over .500: Phillies 4, Mets 1

That dang Injury Bug claims two more players in series opener against the Mets

By AllieFoster
New York Mets v Philadelphia Phillies Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

After a disappointing series against the Marlins in Miami, the Phillies returned home to Citizens Bank Park for a three-game series against the New York Mets. With Rhys Hoskins added to the Injured List and J.T. Realmuto still unavailable, the team’s depth is being tested.

Adam Haseley got the scoring started for the Phillies, despite not starting the game. Pinch hitting for Kyle Garlick, who left with an oblique injury in the fourth inning, he hit a bases-loaded single to score two runs.

Phillies starter Jake Arrieta gave back one of those runs on a first-pitch solo home run to Brandon Nimmo to start off the bottom of the fifth, but Didi Gregorius responded in the bottom of the inning with a two-run homer to right field.

That was the end of the scoring for the entire game.

Beyond the much-needed win, the most important part of the game was that Jake Arrieta left with an apparent right hamstring injury in the fifth inning. Any missed time for Arrieta, along with the team still missing Spencer Howard, will certainly make the playoff push more difficult.

The good news, however, is that Zack Wheeler is expected to return from injury tomorrow to face Mets ace Jacob deGrom.

More positivity for the pitching today was Jojo Romero’s two-inning relief appearance. Romero is clearly the most effective player in the Phillies’ bullpen right now, and has mostly been a breath of fresh air since joining the team. After inducing an inning-ending double play ball on his first pitch in relief for Arrieta, he sat down five of the six batters he faced over the seventh and eighth innings.

Hector Neris, who can never make anything easy, got the first two batters out in the ninth inning before allowing two runners to reach base. With the tying run at the plate, he was able to strike out Dominic Smith to complete the save.

With the win, the Phillies are back over .500 and are just half a game behind second place in the NL East. Despite all the injuries and losing five out of seven against the Marlins, the Phillies are still in sole possession of the first Wild Card spot.

With the season winding down, here’s who Phillies fans should be rooting for tomorrow:

  • Boston over Miami
  • Seattle over San Francisco (2 games)
  • Pittsburgh over Cincinnati
  • If you’re really feeling in the mood to root for other teams, St. Louis over Milwaukee (2 games)

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