Gut Punch? Phillies Postgame 9/8/26
"There's games that small things cost you runs, chances and they can cost you a game."
That’s from Phillies intern manager Don Mattingly tonight who’s assessment could not be more spot on the head.
Plenty of chances were afforded to the Phillies in game one of their midweek series VS the two game above .500 Houston Astros after a split with the Atlanta Braves to gain ground in the NL Wild Card and MAYBE the NL East.
Unfortunately for the Phillies, Andrew Painter had one of his worst starts in a few weeks, the base running woes, and the bats could not recover in an excruciating 6-5 loss.
Painter, coming off a start against another team in the NL playoff picture Arizona Diamondbacks where he went seven shutout innings, struggled against an Astros lineup right away when Christian Walker turned on a poorly located sinker down and in 440 ft to left center in the 2nd. 3-0 Astros.
The issue with Painter today wasn’t the velo, he was throwing almost 100 MPH in the first inning… it was the same thing that relegated the highly touted draft pick to the minor leagues a few months ago. The execution. It doesn’t matter if you throw 99 MPH if that ball is right down Broadway a big leaguer is not going to miss it. Tonight, the Astros didn’t miss, going deep twice and slapped Painter around for 10 hits and five earned runs.
After that, the Phillies bats actually started to fight back. After struggling through five shut out innings from Houston starter Hayden Wesneski, Justin Crawford started a rally with a double. Kyle Schwarber drove him in the next AB with a single. Trea Turner, who has been struggling as of late hitting just .200 over the last 30 games, kept the conga line moving, sending his first homer in a month to left field to cut the lead to 5-3. After yet another ill-timed homer let up by trade deadline acquisition Brooks Raley, the Phillies were down 6-3, time for yet another comeback, right?
Wrong. Marsh was doubled up between second and third after a diving play by Jeremy Pena on a scorching liner by J.T. Realmuto. The mishap blew the air out of the Phillies sails as the incredibly clutch Derek Hill could not deliver this time and struck out with 2 away in the 7th.
In the 9th it was the same story, Edmundo Sosa pimped a ball to right field. Off the bat Sosa thought it was gone. It was not. Even after the RBI that drove in Stott after a leadoff single, Sosa blew a chance to get to third base with no one out. He eventually did get to third, but not before J.T. and Hill both flew out. Astros closer quickly closed things out after that, striking out Kyle Schwarber to secure the first game of the series for the Astros.
Photo Credits: Emilee Chinn/Getty Images
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