Phillies’ offense struggles in sweltering heat to split series over Pirates

Thursday’s contest against the Pirates marked the warmest game at Citizens Bank Park since August 2, 2006. With the real-feel temperature on the field reaching over 117 degrees, this game was going to be a very hot one. 

The saying goes that when the weather is warm, the ball starts jumping. So on a really hot day, you would expect the Phillies to score some runs. After scoring seven or more runs in the first three games of the series, they scored only one run and failed to win the series against their state rivals, the Pittsburgh Pirates; they fell to the Bucs on Thursday afternoon, 6-1.

Alan Rangel would give the Phillies four quality innings today, but when the offense struggles to score, it puts more pressure on the pitcher. Rangel also threw 90 pitches through those four innings, as he walked four batters and worked hitters into many full counts. 

After two scoreless innings by both sides, with doubles by both teams that contributed to no runs being scored, Rangel got himself in trouble during the top of the third inning. 

After a walk and a bunt single, the Pirates had runners on first and second with nobody out. Following a strikeout for the first out, Bryan Reynolds hit a towering fly ball deep into right-center field that bounced off the Independence Blue Cross railing. Since the runners didn’t know whether it was going to be caught, it remained a single, but loaded the bases. The next batter hit a ground ball to Alec Bohm, who stepped on third and threw to first for the inning-ending double play. 

And the Phillies would also get two runners on in the bottom half of the inning, courtesy of two walks. With two outs, Bryce Harper lined a double the opposite way down the left field line, which was able to score the runner at second base, giving the Phillies the first run of the game. 

Rangel got two quick outs to start the fourth, then he gave up back-to-back walks to put runners on first and second. Thankfully, on his 90th pitch, he was able to get out of the inning. Four out of the five batters he faced in the inning worked a full count. Tim Mayza came in to replace him in the fifth. 

He instantly gave up a double and a single to put runners on first and third. Although he was able to strike out Reynolds to get the first out, Esmerlyn Valdez would line a single up the middle to tie the game up at one. With runners still on the corners, the Phillies got out of the inning courtesy of a 6-3 double play. 

Now in the sixth inning, Jonathan Bowlan would find himself in yet another situation where runners would be on the corners. And the Pirates would continue to find themselves in a stalemate when it came to scoring. Bowlan picked up two strikeouts and a groundout to get out of the inning.

Jose Alvarado has struggled all season, and his outing on Thursday would be a continuation of that. After Brandon Lowe led off with a single, it was Valdez again lining a base hit into center field, which Justin Crawford got a bad read on. That allowed Lowe to score to give the Pirates the lead as Valdez made it to third on his first career triple. Nick Gonzales would later drive him in with a bloop single to center. That would be all that the Pirates scored that inning.

The Phillies bullpen would give up another run, as with Lou Trivino in, Endy Rodriguez blasted a home run to center field, making it 4-1 Pittsburgh. Trivino continued to struggle. He loaded the bases after the home run by way of two walks and a single, and Valdez was able to pick up his third RBI of the afternoon to make it 5-1. Kyle Backhus came on for the ninth inning and gave up yet another home run to Gonzales, his second RBI to extend the Pirates’ lead to five.

Two scoreless innings from Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery sealed a 6-1 Pittsburgh victory. 

The Phils will begin a nine-game road trip starting on Independence Day in Kansas City, with Citizens Bank Park ready to be transformed for the midsummer classic. Jesus Luzardo is scheduled to start at 8:10 p.m.

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