Phillies offense comes up short in loss to Mariners
Final Score: Mariners 5, Phillies 3
In their first chance to get back to .500 since the season’s opening weekend, in front of a sellout crowd at Citizens Bank Park and coming off a three-game winning streak, the Philadelphia Phillies fell flat against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday.
The game breezed through the first four innings, with the two teams combining for three hits against Bailey Falter and Mariners starter Marco Gonzales, but the M’s finally got to the former in the fifth.
Jarred Kelenic cracked the scoreboard first with a 424-foot solo homer, another chapter in what seems (thus far) like a long-awaited breakout season from the once highly-touted Mets prospect.
Jose Caballero singled and stole second later in the inning, advancing to third on a throwing error by J.T. Realmuto. That errant throw proved costly when Caballero scored on a two-out infield single by former Phillie J.P. Crawford.
Edmundo Sosa cut the lead in half with a no-doubter in the bottom half of the inning — just three feet fewer than Kelenic’s big fly.
But Falter gave the run — and then one more — back in the sixth. Teoscar Hernández cranked a screaming liner beyond the left field fence for a 4-1 Mariners lead, which made this highlight-reel play from Cristian Pache to end the inning slightly less enjoyable:
The Phillies again got one back, but it could have been way more. Alec Bohm grounded into a forceout with the bases loaded and one out, scoring Kyle Schwarber. The 106.2-mph grounder found Ty France as the only Mariners infielder in the vicinity, and an inning that could’ve taken a chunk out of the deficit ended when Sosa struck out to strand runners at the corners.
The Mariners, again, got the run right back. Cal Raleigh led off the seventh with a triple, and Caballero’s subsequent sacrifice fly made it 5-2.
Brandon Marsh singled to lead off the eighth, but a 4-3 double play on a Pache lineout — yes, another Phillies baserunning mistake — effectively ended that potential rally.
The Phillies brought the tying run up in the ninth with a leadoff Bohm double and Jake Cave RBI single, but Paul Sewald struck out Bryson Stott to end it. The game moved the Phillies to 11-13 on the season; Seattle to 11-12.
Shibe Vintage Sports Notes
- Despite the loss, Pache was again a surprising offensive bright spot for the Phillies. He went 2-for-3, and the double play came on a 98-mph liner. He’s now batting .348. The reclamation project has us thinking …
- Trea Turner had a forgettable night. He’s had a few lately: 3 for his last 22 with 10 strikeouts (and 1-for-14 with eight K’s), Turner’s average has dropped from .321 at the start of play Thursday to .282 now.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Wednesday, April 26 vs. Seattle Mariners at Citizens Bank Park
- 6:40 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
- Spanish Radio: WTTM 1680
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