April 17, 2024
Kyle Ross/USA TODAY Sports
Trea Turner follows through on a solo homer in the first inning of Wednesday night's series finale against the Rockies.
The Phillies got another solid outing from Aaron Nola in Game 1, a gem of a complete game shutout from Ranger Suárez in Game 2, and six impressive innings from Cristopher Sánchez while the bats took care of the rest in Game 3, even as the bullpen nearly blew it.
Still, the Phillies managed the three-game sweep over the struggling Colorado Rockies, their first of the season and a swing that bumps them up to 11-8 on the year.
The Chicago White Sox are on deck for Friday night to close out a 10-game homestand at Citizens Bank Park.
Until then, here are a quick six thoughts from a series that the Phils weren't expected to have much trouble with...
• Let's just go right to the gem of the whole series: Suárez dealing for the complete game shutout on Tuesday night, and with an ultra smooth play on the comebacker for the final out.
Ranger Suárez - SHUTOUT! pic.twitter.com/yZ9n9kqDaQ
— MLB (@MLB) April 17, 2024
No big deal.
Suárez's final line for the night: 9.0 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 8 Ks, and an efficient 112 pitches thrown (79 for strikes).
Suárez's line for the season so far: 4 starts (all Phillies wins), 26.0 IP, a 3-0 record, 1.73 ERA, and 0.77 WHIP.
The 28-year old lefty has been brilliant out of the gate.
"He was getting quick outs, they were swinging early, and he was getting a lot of soft contact," manager Rob Thomson said postgame Tuesday night. "His stuff was really good, and his command was really good...You felt like he was gonna get deep unless something crazy happened."
• Also from Tuesday night: Brandon Marsh. Cannon.
Brandon Marsh lets it Phly 💪 pic.twitter.com/CG2dnE3Smx
— MLB (@MLB) April 17, 2024
And he had the start against another lefty in Colorado's Austin Gomber. Went 0-for-3 at the plate with two strikeouts, but hey, getting there with it.
Marsh also went 2-for-4 with a run knocked in in Wednesday's finale.
• Bryce Harper left the Pirates series over the weekend with his struggles at the plate continuing, but there's no underlying issue behind them (i.e. his bouts with back stiffness from the spring). Thomson chalked it up to nothing more than an early-season rut.
"Yeah, he's just frustrated," Thomson said after the Phillies' loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday. "He's just trying to do too much right now. Maybe overswinging a little bit and not getting his contact point exactly where he usually has it, so he's just gotta fight through it."
On Monday night, Harper hit a sharp grounder into right-center to drive in Trea Turner in the third.
Then on Tuesday, he launched an opposite-field RBI double to the wall in the sixth...
Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday, brother! ✌ pic.twitter.com/YMLKcBoXNM
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) April 17, 2024
And sent a missile of a two-run shot into the left-field seats in the eighth...
🚨 Harper Homer Alert 🚨 pic.twitter.com/xiDo1YoYwO
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 17, 2024
Although he was really fishing for another bomb in the series finale on Wednesday.
Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner led off with back-to-back homers, and from the second Harper stepped up to the plate at third in the order, it was pretty clear he was ready to try and jump on Rockies pitcher Ryan Feltner, too.
He went down swinging on three pitches instead. Then Feltner got Harper to go down swinging again – this time on four pitches – in his next at-bat...
OK, maybe he is trying to do too much.
Harper finished Wednesday night 1-for-4.
• Aaron Nola is looking alright, too, having strung together three solid starts now going back to the April 5 shutout over the Nationals.
With Monday night's nod, Nola put together 7.1 innings of one-run ball, striking out nine and walking just one with some fierce command over his breaking pitches.
Aaron Nola, K'ing the Side.
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 16, 2024
8Ks thru 7. pic.twitter.com/wgqYqc6ima
His only blemish was the solo homer given up to Michael Toglia in the fifth on a first-pitch fastball that hung up in the zone, otherwise, he was dealing right on into the eighth, though on a night when run support was hard to come by.
• And when run support is hard to come by, you need pitching, and defense, to hold the line. And sometimes a game-saving play that keeps everything together.
Jeff Hoffman with two outs, runners at the corners – one of them being Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland as the pinch-runner at third – and after a wild pitch in the ninth:
Runner is out. Inning over. Game is still tied. pic.twitter.com/hpv4TFOsX7
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) April 16, 2024
"I wish baseball was more of a contact sport," Hoffman quipped of the play at the plate afterward (via NBC Sports Philadelphia). "That was a crazy play for two pitchers to be involved in. Already talked to Kyle. He's alright, so that's good to know. Yeah, just a crazy play."
And a game-saving one.
Cristian Pache walks it off! #Jackie42 pic.twitter.com/MYPhj13sAI
— MLB (@MLB) April 16, 2024
• Schwarber and Turner teed off on Feltner right away on Wednesday night, J.T. Realmuto knocked a grounder into right after Harper's first strikeout, then Alec Bohm ripped an opposite-field double into the right-field corner to score him, and Marsh tacked on with an RBI single on another grounder into right.
The Phillies jumped out to a 4-1 lead and were pretty much in cruise control from there as Sanchez put up 10 Ks and a stress-free six innings of one-run ball (none earned).
Starting off the night with BACK-TO-BACK jacks #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/0GBHHBIcVd
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 17, 2024
And for good measure, Turner doubled and was brought home in the fifth, Johan Rojas took two on a deep shot to the left-center wall in the sixth, and Schwarber crushed another to clear the bases while notching career homers No. 250 and 251 in one night.
AN ABSOLUTE MOONSHOT 🤯
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) April 17, 2024
Schwar💣 No. 2 on the night! pic.twitter.com/0uzNEadCud
No reason to hold your breath at the ballpark on Wednesday night...
Is the phrase that would've stood had Gregory Soto not fallen into a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, which ended up spotting the Rockies six extra runs between him and Hoffman combined to make it a one-score game.
But Marsh tracked down a fly ball to left for the last out to finally stop the bleeding, and José Alvarado kept Colorado to only one more base-runner before notching the save in the ninth to get the Phillies to escape with the 7-6 win.
Guess there had to be just a little stress – just a little.
