Matt Waldron holds Phillies 1 game short of the sweep, losing 5-2 to Padres
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
Matt Waldron was surprisingly in his bag today, as a result, he spoils a great outing from Ranger Suarez and 2 Bryce Harper bombs.
Let’s dive into the details of the loss, which is much closer than the final score makes it look.
Offense includes: Bryce Harper, and Bryce Harper again
Harper was the only bat that put a dent in the great performance by Matt Waldron and the Padres bullpen.
Waldron had the Phillies stymied for 7 innings, throwing 104 pitches, allowing just 1 run, and totaling 6 strikeouts. The only offense the Phillies were able to put up against him was an opposite-field homer from Bryce Harper.
Then on came Jeremiah Estrada, who also fell victim to a Bryce Harper homer.
Just 2 runs on the day, but I mentioned earlier that the game was a lot closer than 5-2, and here is exhibit A. Way back in the first inning, the Phillies had bases juiced and just 1 out with a chance to break the game open early. Instead of even putting up just 1 run, Nick Castellanos struck out, Brandon Marsh lined out and the team left empty-handed.
Unable to hang on
Cy Young candidate Ranger Suarez put up another fantastic outing to add to his ever-growing collection. Ranger Suarez went 6 innings allowing just 1 run and had 4 strikeouts. The trouble started after he left.
Orion Kerkering gave up the lead in the 7th inning when former Marlin Luis Arraez singled out to right field, scoring Jackson Merrill.
The floodgates opened when Seranthony Dominguez came on in the 8th. His struggles have been well documented this year and after allowing 2 hits along with a fielding error the bases were juiced.
Topper decided to bring in another struggling reliever to try and get out of the jam in Gregory Soto. Instead, Kyle Higashioka tripled after Brandon Marsh laid out for a ball and came up just short, allowing it to bounce over his head.
If Marsh had either just let the ball hit the ground or caught the ball it’s a 2 or 3-run swing. Exhibit B if you will, on how this game was much closer than meets the eye.
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