Au Contreras: Brewers 5, Phillies 3

When I recapped Tuesday’s game, I mentioned that with Cristopher Sanchez on the mound, the Phillies would need to clean up their game if they wanted to extend their winning streak to five games. The Phillies did not clean things up. Thanks to another mistake-filled game, as well as a huge night by catcher William Contreras, the Phillies’ winning streak came to an end with a 5-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

After a scoreless first inning, Sanchez ran into trouble in the second. Some of it was not his fault (Edmundo Sosa committed an error), but some of it was (he allowed a single and two doubles in the inning), and the Brewers were out to a 3-0 lead.

After a quiet first three innings, the Phillies offense got on the board in the fourth via a Nick Castellanos home run.

They went on to tie things up the following inning thanks to a clutch hit by Kyle Schwarber and aggressive baserunning by Brandon Marsh.

Sanchez’s night was done after five innings. Jeff Hoffman pitched a clean sixth, but with a depleted bullpen, he was asked to start the seventh as well. He walked a batter who then stole second, prompting the entrance of Matt Strahm. Strahm did not get the job done, giving up an RBI double to William Contreras.

The Phillies were not having nearly as much success against the Brewers’ bullpen. They went down in order in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, including this bizarre at bat by Bryce Harper.

Contreras (3 for 5 on the night) doubled home an insurance run in the ninth, which loomed large when the Phillies got two runners on in the bottom of the inning. (Harper swung the bat this time!) But the Phillies helped sabotage their own rally when Bryson Stott attempted to steal second and was gunned down by (who else?) Contreras on one of the best throws you’ll see.

After that, Alec Bohm’s game-ending strikeout seemed inevitable.

The series finale will be played tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, the Phillies can clean up the mistakes that have plagued them the past two nights, and they can capture another series victory.