Ice Cold Bats and Brews: Phillies Drop Game 1 Against Milwaukee

We missed being treated to a lead-off Schwarbomb by only a few feet at American Family Field. There wasn’t much offense to write home about after that. Following a night of excitement with a walk-off against the rival Mets, Philly’s bats went cold tonight with runners on base.

Ice Cold Base-Running and Bats

Bryce Harper singled in the first inning, prompting him and former Phillie and current Brewer’s first baseman Rhys Hoskins to have a moment. Unfortunately, he was left on base. Catcher J.T. Realmuto raked a double to left center in the top of the 2nd but was also left on base. In the 3rd inning, Cal Stevenson was thrown out at third and Trea Turner was thrown out at second. Poor base running cost the Phils what could have been a run or two.

Trouble Brewing

Hoskins has the worst batting average of his career for Milwaukee this season, but got the first hit for the opposing team, with a single in the 2nd inning. The Brewers then got the scoring started in the bottom of the 3rd, as William Contreas hit a two-run double, making the score 2-0. Ranger labored for the rest of the inning but got out of it without any further damage. Hoskins then walked in the 4th, prompting the Brew Crew to eventually bring in another run to make it 3-0.

Concerns for Ranger?

Phillies’ starting pitcher Ranger Suárez continued his recent struggle with velocity, reaching a high of 91-92 mph. Ranger got through 5 innings on 105 pitches, giving up 3 runs. I thought the lefty should probably have been pulled after the 4th, but was left in the game. I was happy to have been relatively wrong, and the bullpen took over in the 6th. Let’s hope Suárez isn’t dealing with a ‘dead arm’ and will be his effective self in the postseason.

The Struggles Continue

The Phightins finally got on the board in the top of the fifth inning, with Brandon Marsh hitting a solo home run. The Brew Crew’s starting pitcher Civale was pulled in the 6th, but their bullpen got out of the inning, and the Phils left more men on base. The Phillies bullpen gave up two more runs in the 6th, making the score 5-1. An RBI single from Schwarber in the 7th cut the score to 5-2, but the Brewers got the run right back to make it 6-2.

Gotta Win One

Although the Phillies out-hit the Brewers, they still drop this one, with a final score of 6-2. Philly had eleven base hits, but still only could muster two runs. If for some reason the Phillies tie the Brewers at the end of the regular season, it’s important to win at least one out of these next two games against Milwaukee to gain home-field advantage in the 2024 playoffs. With Ace Zack Wheeler on the mound tomorrow, there’s a good chance that could happen.

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