On Rob Thomson’s Birthday, Phillies Earn First Win in Toronto Since 2018
Jose Moreno/Philadelphia Inquirer
Coming off a tough three-game series against the Minnesota Twins, the Philadelphia Phillies traveled to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays Tuesday and Wednesday evening.
In game one, the Phillies started Zach Wheeler, who pitched tremendously, but the offense never showed up.
Wheeler pitched a hitless game in the first five innings, but then the Blue Jays started coming to life at the plate while his command started to unravel. He pitched seven innings, had five strikeouts, walked four, and gave up one earned run. He was efficient on the mound and handled the game well, even though he was never provided a significant lead to work with. The only run he allowed was by George Springer’s single that scored Whit Merrifield in the bottom of the sixth and tied the game up at one.
Blue Jays starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi had a heck of a performance as well and made the Phillies suffer offensively until the sixth inning.
The positive offensive outcome on the Phillies’ side was that Edmundo Sosa had two singles in the game. Also, Phillies’ Johan Rojas was alive at the plate as he drove in a run off of an RBI double, producing the Phils’ only run of the game.
The Blue Jays took game one of the two-game series, 2-1.
The Philadelphia Phillies came into their series finale game on Wednesday night with one thing on their mind, which was to win the ballgame and split the series. Fortunately, they did just that as the bats were alive and the pitching was great.
Phillies’ starting pitcher Aaron Nola didn’t pitch up to his standards, but he was able to make it through five innings of work on Wednesday night He allowed four hits and four earned runs, but he struck out seven, which was the only positive that came out of his performance.
Thankfully, though, the Phillies offense is finally shining after winning game two, snapping a three-game losing streak. The bats are finally making noise. This type of game, specifically, has a great look as they chipped away with base hits, walks, and some home runs. This is the type of offense that this team needs to compete against more solid teams like the Braves, Brewers, and Giants, to name a few. It’ll be interesting to see what they can accomplish in the coming days and months ahead.
Phillies’ star Bryce Harper had a phenomenal game as he racked up two home runs against Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman. Harper was a big help in a huge way.
Jake Cave also collected a home run in the top of the eighth.
In addition to those two making a big impact for the Phillies’ offense, Alec Bohm, Kyle Schwarber, Bryson Stott, and J.T Realmuto were a big help as they added some good at-bats throughout the game.
Gregory Soto closed it out in the ninth, and the Phillies got the win, 9-4, and are now 66-55 on the season.
NEXT UP: The Phillies will start a three-game series in Washington D.C. starting on Friday, August 18. The series finale game will be the Sunday Night Baseball game on ESPN as they both will square off in Williamsport, PA at the Little League World Series at 7pm ET.
