The Phillies entered Monday with a 7 game lead in the NL East. A comfortable, yet not comforting lead. While the Phillies have been playing better baseball of late, notably destroying the Seattle Mariners, the Mets have been in a free fall. Before the start of this series the Mets were 14-19 since the All-Star break.
Monday was the beginning of a three game set in Queens, the biggest series of the season so far. The Phillies had a golden opportunity to bury this Mets team and take a stranglehold on the NL East. Instead the exact opposite has happened. The Phillies were swept in embarrassing fashion. They held an early lead in the first two games before having meltdown innings. Instead of burying the Mets deeper than they already were, the Phillies have let them climb out of their grave. This series was about more than moving up and down in the standings. It has given the Mets life, energy and momentum. The Phillies awoke their sleepy northern neighbor with bad baseball and a loser attitude.
Game 1
With an early lead and Cristopher Sanchez on the mound you thought there was no way the Phillies lose. Instead they followed the trend of recent playoff losses. Starting the game off great, getting an early 3 run lead. However, the lead should have been much more. The Phillies left runners on base each inning, including Turner, Schwarber, and Harper going down 1, 2, 3 with two guys on and no outs. That simply cannot happen. You have the Mets best pitcher on the ropes, with a chance to put a dent in the bullpen to start the series. And you let him off the hook.
This was followed up by a disaster bottom of the 4th inning. A Cristopher Sanchez balk and wild pitch allowed Alonso to advance to third. I would have liked to see a mound visit after the balk. Sanchez never makes a mistake like that and a visit could have limited the damage before it began. The Phillies have been slow to help their starters all season.
Then the Mets added a few runs through hits but two ground balls, first to Bohm and then to Turner, should have been kept in the infield. The ground balls may not have turned into outs, but it would have saved runs. It was sloppy, lazy baseball from the left side of the infield. The next inning Sanchez had Soto picked off but Harper held onto the ball too long leading to a Stott drop allowing Soto to reach second and eventually score.
That was all she wrote for the Phillies. After the meltdown in the fourth the team looked dead. Let’s not forget it was still a 3-3 baseball game. But by the look of the players and the energy they exuded you could see they didn’t have it. The thing is, nothing drastic did the unraveling. It was bad fundamental baseball. The Phillies did everything in their power to let the Mets hang around and then said here’s the lead you can have it. It was a no guts performance from the ball club. They have to be mentally tougher down the stetch.
Game 2
After the disappointing loss on Monday, Luzardo took the mound to try and even the series. In what felt like a must win, the Phillies once again took an early lead. Harper inside-outed a fastball to knock in two runs. The lead was short-lived. The Mets put up 5 runs in their half of the inning. Once again, an early lead was completely gone. And once again, bad baseball was involved. A Bader overthrow allowed two runners to advance, really putting Luzardo against it.
At least this game the Phillies showed some fight. An 8th inning home run from former Met, Harrison Bader tied the game up at 5. Duran ended up blowing the game in the 9th as the Phillies division lead shrank to 5 games.
What stands out from the 9th inning is the impact of the hitters. The Phillies and Mets both had the top of the order in the 9th. The Phillies went down 1, 2, 3. I can’t explain why but they look overmatched. They look to be pressing to do anything. They can’t figure out a way to win at Citi Field and it is infuriating.
Game 3
I wrote my thoughts for the first two games during the day on Wednesday. I was really hoping I could change my tone a little after game 3. That did not happen. The Phillies were swept by the Mets. The division is down to 4 games. It feels like the lowest point for this group since being eliminated by the Diamondbacks in the NLCS.
You have to give credit to Nolan McClean who pitched eight solid innings. But the Phillies offense showed little fight. They weren’t even able to scrap together a run with their backs across the wall. This is what concerns me. When they are down, the team looks dead. They look like they want to go home. Instead of rallying the troops and scraping together a win to gain a game back in the division they peter out on their way back down 95.
Take Aways
It is hard to take any positives away from this series. The Phillies had a golden opportunity and couldn’t take advantage. The way they lost the baseball games is the most concerning. They look like a team afraid of the moment, wanting the big hit, but not making the right plays to win the game. The Phillies need to find a brand of baseball and stick to it. Against the Mariners they were disciplined, hit the ball where it was pitched, and took advantage of their opportunities. Against the Mets, they did the exact opposite. They were overly aggressive, fell short in big situations, and played sloppy baseball.
It is hard to figure out what this team’s brand is, because right now the brand is inconsistentcy. The Phillies are consistently inconsistent. This is where a large portion of frustration stems from for the fans. The Phillies need to man up the rest of the season and prove to themselves they are the baseball team they think they are because the fans are not 100% convinced.
Even after an excruciating series in New York, the Phillies still control their own destiny. They have a four game lead in the division with 29 games left. The Mets come to South Philly in early September for a huge four game series. All hope is not lost and this team will rally. I still expect them to win the division, but this series was not a good indication of what we could see in the playoffs.
Photo Credit: Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images
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