The streak is over. The streak is over. The Phillies actually won a baseball game.
For one night, it was the opposing team making mistakes. And for one night, it was the Phillies who capitalized on them. After a Harper walk with two outs, Mike Yastrzemski tried to lay out on an Adolis Garcia line drive and missed it by a foot. They took a 2-0 lead in the fourth when Bryson Stott hit a ball off Truist Park’s massive right field wall and scored Brandon Marsh from first. Bryce Harper got a clutch two-out hit in fifth to give them a 3-2 lead.
Zack Wheeler, one of the all-time Phillies greats, returned to the mound for the first time since August 15 against the Washington Nationals. The Dallas, Georgia native was clearly amped up for his first inning of work, firing 95 and 96 mph fastballs to the top of the Braves lineup.
Against Ronald Acuña Jr, Wheeler went four-seam, four-seam, sinker, and then another high four-seam fastball for a strikeout. He then struck out Drake Baldwin on a curveball.
There was rust, he struggled with command, having three walks, and ran into a 35 pitch fourth inning that nearly ended his night. He walked Baldwin and Olson to begin the inning, Albies singled to load the bases, and the Braves brought in two runs thanks to a sac fly from Harris and a double from Austin Riley. Wheeler was done after the fifth inning on 83 pitches.
But for one night, it didn’t matter that the depleted Phillies bullpen had to cover at least four (eventually five) innings.
It wasn’t pretty but it ended up working, at least for one night. Rob Thomson asked three different relievers to get four outs. Orion Kerkering entered the sixth inning after Tanner Banks had a disastrous three-batter stint against the Braves middle of the order. Matt Olson smoked a sinker past Brandon Marsh and down the left field line with a double. Ozzie Albies took a hanging sweeper to the left center field gap to tie the game at three. Michael Harris II then poked a down and away sweeper to left that gave the Braves a 4-3 lead.
Kerkering worked 1.1 innings of work. Then it was José Alvarado’s turn to get four outs. Brad Keller then entered the eighth inning and got the last four outs before extra innings.
In that span, the Phillies caught their second big break of the night when Braves center fielder Eli White slipped, which allowed Kyle Schwarber to get a leadoff triple to start the seventh. Bryce Harper hit a sac fly to tie the game at five.
None of this is going to match what the tenth inning brought. A determined manager and bullpen mostly worked them to this point but it was up to the offense to bring them home.
The Braves asked José Suarez to work against the top of the Phillies order, with Garrett Stubbs as the ghost runner, to keep the struggling Philadelphia bats down.
But for one night, it was the Phillies turn to take advantage of a short bullpen. Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber walked and loaded the bases, Harper singled in two runs. Brandon Marsh, who’s seen multiple high leverage at bats against left handed pitching the last few days, finally rewarded Rob Thomson for his (forced) faith, smacking a clutch single to extend the Phillies lead to four runs. It was their first four run inning in twelve days.
With the 2026 Phillies, nothing was going to come this easily. Kyle Backus came in to finish the game against the top of the Braves order because there was no other viable option.
Backhus has allowed an .870 OPS against right handed hitters this season, but Acuña hit a lazy flyball to Justin Crawford. Drake Baldwin smacked a single to left that made it 8-5 then Olson hit a blooper right between Turner and Crawford to send the tying run to the pate.
Albies has a .308 batting average against left handed pitching this season with three extra base hits. He rolled over to shortstop for a force out. Harris has crushed the Phillies this season, and delivered the big blow against Andrew Painter the night before. But for one night, really one moment, he didn’t have it and the Phillies ended their longest and most miserable losing streak of the century.
What does it mean? What damage did this losing streak cause? Even if it’s April, is it even possible for the Phillies to make a real run at the division? What about the Alex Cora news?
Those questions might be for tomorrow, or for Monday, or some other date.
For this one specific night, the Phillies won a baseball game for the first time in 12 days.
Read the full article here