Well, the offence showed up. They knocked 15 hits, including three home runs and a couple of doubles, to plate eight runs. Unfortunately, the pitching was awful and the defence didn’t really help.
On the other side, Kyle Schwarber decided to do it himself. He went 5-6 with three home runs and a double, knocking in six. The other Phillies did their share, with a dozen hits and six walks, but it was Schwarber who was insurmountable for the Jays pitching staff tonight.
It wasn’t a pitchers’ duel. The Phillies drew first blood, with a lead off homer by Kyle Schwarber in the first. Their lead didn’t last, though. In the home half, George Springer lead off with a single and Daulton Varsho followed with a homer of his own to jump out in front 2-1. Vlad Guerrero jr. then singled, Spencer Horwitz doubled, and Will Wagner brought the third run home with a fielder’s choice groundout. An Alejandro Kirk single and an Addison Barger homer added three more, making it 6-1. That knocked Tyler Phillips out of the game after just two thirds of an inning. Tanner Banks and Jose Alvarado did better, keeping the Jays in check for the next 2.1 innings.
Chris Bassitt let Philly back into the game in the third. A double, an error by Barger at third, and a single loaded the bases with nobody out. Nick Castellanos grounded out to score one, and Bryson Stott double home another, making it 6-3. They re-loaded the bases later in the inning, but Bassitt escaped the jam. Schwarber hit his second homer of the night in the fourth to bring it within two. He’d give up a couple more base runners in the fifth and return for one out in the sixth before giving way to Brendon Little. Bassitt’s final like was 4 runs (3 earned) on 10 hits and 2 walks, striking out 7. He didn’t get all the help he might have wanted from his defence, but he was still lucky to get away with only four runs.
Little worked around a single to get out of the sixth. In the bottom half, facing Taijuan Waker who’d relieved Alvarado to start the fourth, they were able to tack on a couple more runs. A Springer single set the table for Vlad, whose 28th home run of the year made it 8-4.
It was the bullpen’s turn to struggle in the seventh. Zach Pop recorded one out while hitting a batter and giving up a double. The Jays turned to Erik Swanson, who walked the first two batters he faced to load the bases and force in a run. Kody Klemens hit a soft grounder to third, on which Ernie Clement made a nice diving play to tag the bag and force the runner, but another run did score on the play. Hoping the third time would be the charm. John Schneider called for Genesis Cabrera to face Kyle Schwarber as the go ahead run. He got a ground ball to first, but it kicked off the heel of Vlad’s glove, allowing Schwarber to reach and a run to score. It was ruled a hit, but really should have been an error. Trea Turner flew out to the track to end the inning, but the Phillies hd cut the Jays’ lead to 8-7.
Things remained shaky in the eighth. Cabrera walked two and gave up a single, but a double play and a nice pick by Will Wagner at second got him out of it. Vlad doubled for his fourth hit of the night in the home half, but they weren’t able to cash him in.
The bottom finally fell out in the ninth. Chad Green gave up an single and a double to put two on for Schwarber, who launched his third of the night into the second deck to put Philly back out in front 10-8. He struck out the next two, but that took him to 30 pitches and Ryan Burr had to come in to mop it up.
Matt Strahm struck out the first two Blue Jays in the ninth. Leo Jimenez refused to let them go quietly, homering to bring Toronto within one, but Ernie Clement popped out to end the game.
Jays of the Day: Varsho (0.113) and Guerrero (0.137).
Nope: Green (-0.755) has one of the worse numbers I can remember. Bassitt, Pop, and Swanson don’t have the number, but all deserve the infamy none the less.
It’s a 3:07pm ET start tomorrow. Bowden Francis (8-3, 3.66) will look to avenge both tonight’s loss and FSU’s 0-2 start against Christopher Sanchez (9-9, 3.49).