The Phillies had every excuse to just roll over on Monday. After playing on Sunday night, they had to take a late flight to Milwaukee and then play an afternoon game against the best team in baseball. When they fell into a 4-0 hole, it would have been understandable (though still annoying) if they just went through the motions the rest of the way.
But that’s not what happened. I’m not giving all the credit to the return of a certain backup catcher. But maybe it wasn’t coincidental that one of the Phillies’
best wins of the season came on the day that Garrett Stubbs was recalled to the majors.
The Phillies didn’t let that early deficit get them down. And even after their bullpen (with a big assist from bad infield defense) allowed the Brewers to tie the game twice, the Phillies didn’t stop and eventually emerged with a hard fought 10-8 win.
Taijuan Walker got the start for the Phillies, and it was clear from the first batter of the game that he didn’t have it. Brice Turang greeted him with a leadoff home run, and later in the inning, a Blake Perkins double put the Brewers up 3-0.
Caleb Durbin hit a solo home run in the second to make it 4-0, and at that point, many Phillies fans probably wanted to see if there was some other way to spend the holiday evening.
But Bryce Harper apparently didn’t have any other plans and got the Phillies on the board with a solo shot in the fourth. Unfortunately, Walker gave that run right back in the bottom of the inning.
The Phillies’ comeback began in earnest when Trea Turner tripled home two runs in the fifth to cut the lead to 5-3.
In the fifth, the Phillies surged ahead. With two men on, Harrison Bader doubled to bring the Phillies within one run, and then consecutive sacrifice flies by Max Kepler and Edmundo Sosa put them ahead.
The lead didn’t last long. In the sixth, a combination of Daniel Robert and Jose Alvarado walked two batters. With two outs, it looked like Alvarado was going to get out of it, but Bryson Stott couldn’t handle a ground ball, and the Brewers tied it at six.
The Phillies’ offense struck again in the eighth. Brandon Marsh led off with a single, and another Bader double gave the Phillies a 7-6 lead. Later in the inning, Stott helped redeem himself by doubling home another run to make it 8-6.
But run prevention wasn’t a strong suit for the Phillies on Monday. In the eighth, David Robertson got the first two batters, but seeing Realmuto potentially lose a testicle on a foul ball to the crotch seemed to unnerve him. He gave up a walk and a hit, and then a ground ball which it looked like Trea Turner could have fielded, but didn’t.
The Phillies needed to rally again and rally they did. Kyle Schwarber led off with a walk, and then thanks to a VERY close (I think half the Brewers’ coaching staff was ejected arguing it) check swing call, Realmuto walked.
With the go-ahead runner on second, Rob Thomson unleashed his secret weapon and had Stubbs pinch run for Schwarber. The move paid off when Marsh (4-5 on the day) singled to right. Stubbs scored without a throw, but it likely would have been very interesting if Schwarber was running.
Bader (3-5) added some insurance with another single to score Realmuto.
Unlike most of his peers on the pitching staff, Jhoan Duran was able to stop the Brewers’ relentless offense for an inning, setting down the opponents 1-2-3 and sealing the win.
The Phillies will get to enjoy this one for an extra day thanks to the unusual mid-series off day. Hopefully when they resume action on Wednesday, they continue to show the fight (and vibes!) they showed on Monday.
