Phillies blown out by Mets in series-opener: What went wrong?

Citizens Bank Park had a different energy prior to Friday night’s series opener against the Phillies’ National League East rival from New York. There were fewer Mets fans than expected in attendance, and the energy was palpable even before the 44,607 fans packed the stands. Strong energy isn’t always a good thing, however, as the Mets came in and pummeled the Phillies, winning 11-3 and moving to seven games back with 15 left to play. The pitching staff did something it hadn’t done since 2018, but some late energy helped them avoid the shutout. Let’s see how we got there.

Nola’s night

Aaron Nola had what can only be described as an odd outing. After retiring the first two hitters of the game on just six pitches, Mets hitters drew two walks and forced Nola to throw 20 more pitches before recording the final out in the opening frame.

Nola threw 17 pitches in the second, 13 in the third, and 7 in the fourth – retiring the next 9 men New York set to the plate in order. The Phillies No. 2 starter managed to rebound and settle in after throwing 43 pitches through the first two innings. Through four, Nola had yet to surrender a hit, and we had the makings of a pitchers’ duel. Then came the fifth…

After not having a single base runner since the fourth hitter of the game, the Mets offense jumped all over Aaron to start frame No. 5. They started single, single, HR from their six-through-eight hitters to give New York a 3-0 lead. Nola managed to strike out Harrison Bader, but the top of the Mets order just rinsed and repeated. Single, single, home run from the top three hitters in the order and suddenly a game ready for the no-hitter watch label turned to a six-run Phillies deficit. Nola would leave the game then and there.

This was the second start in a row where Aaron failed to finish the fifth inning – the fifth such instance for him this season in his 30 starts. Phillies Manager Rob Thomson spoke after the game about his pitcher’s performance:

“Yeah, I think it’s just a little bit of command. Tonight, they put a lot of pitches on him the first two innings and then I thought he really settled in the 3rd and 4th and pitched well. Then in the fifth, the two home runs were back up breaking balls, really. So yeah, I think the first two innings took its toll on him.”

Nola has always been a strong pitcher, and has logged strong innings these last two postseasons. However, fans often get concerned about how he will perform at the end of the year as the right-hander seems to struggle in September. The final month of the regular season is the worst for Nola in his career in terms of ERA (4.66), WHIP (1.30), HR/9 (1.46), and IP per game (5.2). Those numbers are amplified by his last two starts, but still could be a sign of concern.

“I have no concern,” Thomson said when asked about his confidence level in the veteran starter. “I mean, we’re not in, I’ve said that all along until, until we’re in. But I think his performance in October has showed that he can bounce back.” His first two starts in the 2022 playoffs, and his entire 2023 postseason, back up what his manager expressed.

The Phillies offense didn’t roll over

Jose Quintana had his stuff working all night. Partnered with strong defense behind him, he was able to go seven-strong – eclipsing six innings for just the eighth time this season. Quintana didn’t make Phillies hitters miss at a high rate (just 7 swings-and-misses), but he got ahead of hitters all night. 17 of the 23 Phillies he faced saw a first-pitch strike.

Rob Thomson didn’t overly concerned postgame, however, as he felt his team still put together good at-bats:

“He threw strikes. And really, I don’t want to take anything away from his outing because he pitched well, but we hit a lot of balls hard at people. So, I thought our at-bats were fine and just – we had nothing to show for it. He threw strikes and they played really good defense.”

The Phillies essentially emptied their bench, getting some guys in who wouldn’t have seen the field had the score not been 11-0. Just as has been the case as of late, the guys off the bench were ready for action. In the ninth inning, after seeing Kody Clemens pitch the top of frame, it would have been easy to lay down and call it a night.

Instead, Schwarber and Harper both drew walks before Marsh came to the plate for the first time in the game. He wasted no time, and with two outs he hammered the first pitch he saw into the right field seats to avoid the shutout. Aramis Garcia followed by striking out but advancing to first on a passed ball in his first and only at-bat. Weston Wilson who switched from left field to second base before the ninth started drew a walk, and suddenly the remaining crowd was back on their feet – even if just for a moment. Bryson Stott lined out to right field and the game was done.

However, they showed grit instead of limping away with their tail between their legs. They hope that can carry over to the rest of the weekend.

Other Phillies notes

The Phillies surrendered three 3-run home runs in the game. It was the ninth time since 1900 they gave up three homers that added three runs to the scoreboard each – and the first time they did it since June 28, 2018 vs. Washington. Bryce Harper and Trea Turner were teammates on the Nationals for that one. Harper was one of the three hitters, along with Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto, to record a three-run shot that day. Turner also hit a long ball that day, but it was of the two-run variety.

Max Lazar threw 44 pitches over 2.2 innings of relief. The 2.2 ties his season high at any level this year, and the 44 pitches were the most he’s thrown in a single outing at the major league level. I asked Thomson postgame about Lazar’s impact in mop-up duty:

“That was huge. He’s done that twice now. Yeah, I trust him. He comes in, throws strikes. His stuff’s pretty good. He was not afraid of anything. He really picked up the bullpen tonight.”

Kolby Allard will start tomorrow’s game. A corresponding move has yet to be announced.

Alec Bohm and Edmundo Sosa both will start a rehab assignment at Lehigh Valley tomorrow. If all goes well, Bohm could be back with the team as early as Monday, with Sosa not being eligible until Tuesday.

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images