BOX SCORE
They do not get much crazier than this.
The Phillies lost, 10-9, to the Baltimore Orioles in 10 innings at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday night.
Baltimore’s Austin Hays led the 10th with a two-run, in-park homer against Phillies reliever Deolis Guerra.
The Orioles, as mandated by MLB’s COVID protocols, started the inning with a runner on second.
The Phillies started the bottom of the 10th with a runner on second. Jay Bruce had an RBI single, but the Phils could not push another run home, although they ran out on second and third with one out.
Hays’ homer, his first of the season, came on a line drive to center field. Roman Quinn sprinted in and tried to make a dive, but the ball went through him and rolled to the warning track when Hays ran the bases.
It was one of the wildest Phillies games in recent memory. The Phillies were stubborn at times and cunning at other times.
They kicked, 8-6, in the bottom of the ninth, but tied the game on a two-out single from Didi Gregorius.
The Orioles had run three runs against Phillies closer to Hector Neris in the top of the ninth.
The first run came on a one-off single by Renato Nunez.
With two outs, the Orioles scored two runs on an infield pop-up that fell inside when Phillies third baseman Jean Segura stepped over the pitcher’s mound and could not make a play.
First baseman Rhys Hoskins had a pearl on the ball, but Segura called him off.
Pedro Severino, who hit the pop-up on the infield, was credited with a single of two runs.
It was a terrible inning for the Phillies, who just moments earlier had made a one-run lead on a pair of eighth inning homers by Bryce Harper (two-run shot) and Segura (solo shot).
Starter Zack Wheeler went away with the game tied at 3-3 in the sixth. Reliever Tommy Hunter allowed three hits and two runs after the first three fights he faced in the seventh when the Orioles took the lead.
The Phillies had just three hits through seven innings.
The loss dropped the Phillies to 5-7. Baltimore is 8-7.
The bullpen
Neris blew a save in the ninth. He ran the leadoff man and allowed a one-out double. He then deliberately filled the bases before giving a hit from a game band. He knocked out the next batter and then got the pop-up that fell for two runs.
The Phillies’ bullpen allowed 40 earned runs in 35 1/3 innings. That 10.19 ERA is the worst in the major.
Wheeler’s night
It was pretty good – until the sixth inning. That was when Wheeler was tagged for three runs and the Orioles tied the game.
Wheeler let a double, an RBI single and an RBI double open the frame. He then gave the band hit on a single to Dwight Smith Jr. Phillies second baseman Scott Kingery almost made a dive on the ball, but it knocked his glove off.
Wheeler had a good fastball – he topped out at 98 mph – but hit only two.
Trade candidate
Baltimore referee Alex Cobb grabbed 5 1/3 innings and was able to concede three hits and three runs, one of which was not caught.
Cobb used mostly off-speed play – splitter and curveballs – to keep Phillies hitters out of balance. He grabbed three a final score of 1-2-3. He tied with the game, 3-3, in the sixth and two men on base. Lefty Tanner Scott loses Cobb. He knocked out Gregorius for the second and ran Segura to load the bases. Scott ended the threat by getting Bruce after a shift from the right.
Cobb, 32, has a 2.75 ERA in four starts this season. He will get some attention at the trade date later this month. However, his $ 15 million price tag for next season may not make him particularly attractive.
Transactions
The Phillies made several of them when they shook the deck in their bullpen on Tuesday (see story).
Next
The Phillies and Orioles play again Wednesday night. Zach Eflin picks against Baltimore lefty Wade LeBlanc (1-0, 6.91).
Eflin put up four scoreless innings against the Yankees in his season debut.
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