Bottom of the lineup ignites stunning rally as Phillies, again, avoid consecutive losses
DENVER — It has probably not been the season Garrett Stubbs envisioned for himself offensively. But when you’re 38-15, everyone plays hero at some point.
That point, for Stubbs, was Saturday. The Phillies’ backup backstop came through with a go-ahead RBI single in the ninth inning, completing a last-ditch comeback that stunned the home crowd and sent a strong contingent of Phillies fans beyond the third-base dugout into jubilation.
Stubbs and Edmundo Sosa, whose RBI triple tied the game up one batter before Stubbs, put the Phillies on top, but it was Bryce Harper who blew the game open. Kyle Schwarber doubled for his third hit of the game and Bryson Stott walked before Harper sent them, and himself, home with the dagger.
The Phillies entered the ninth down 3-2 and won 8-4.
It was the fourth RBI of the game for Harper, who responded to Friday night’s ejection in a typically Harper-esque manner.
“He’s a superstar,” manager Rob Thomson said. “And that’s what they do. They overcome obstacles. They control what they can control.”
Stubbs had featured earlier in the game as well. He threw a runner out on replay review in the second, then singled, stole third on a heads-up baserunning play and scored a run on a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
“Stubby had a great night,” Thomson said. “Really good to see … I think any backup catcher on this ballclub is gonna have a tough go of it. ‘Cause it’s tough to play every fifth day or sometimes, with the off days, it’s every seventh day or eighth day. But he does a great job getting prepared.”
But of course, the ninth inning is what changed the entire night. The rally rewarded a laborious outing for Aaron Nola, who threw 32 pitches in the first inning and 82 in the first four but managed to eke out six innings and a Quality Start. The Phillies’ bullpen kept the one-run deficit right there: Seranthony Domínguez and José Ruiz each continued solid months to set the stage for the late fireworks.
“No doubt,” Thomson said when asked whether he largely credits the Phillies’ pitching staff for the comeback. “No doubt. Noles grinded through six, we got a really good inning from Seranthony, a really good inning from Ruiz and Turnbull shut it down. So it was good.”
It all started with a walk by Brandon Marsh, whom Thomson kept on to face the lefty closer Jalen Beeks. That’s because, Thomson said postgame, Harper had told him he didn’t see a strike in his five-pitch at bat against Beeks the inning prior (a strikeout in which, actually, just one pitch did find the zone).
“He knew what the situation was. He drew the walk, which was huge,” Thomson said of Marsh. “It got us going.”
A loss would’ve given the Phillies their second in a row for the first time since April 23 and 24 in Cincinnati. Instead, they pulled one from the jaws of defeat — and, by virtue of the Braves’ second straight loss, stretched their National League East lead to seven games.
“We don’t even talk about it, to tell you the truth,” Thomson said of avoiding back-to-back losses for over a month. “It’s just consistency, really.”
They’re 38-15 and will go for the series victory behind Ranger Suárez on Sunday’s getaway day.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Sunday, May 26 vs. Colorado Rockies at Coors Field
- 3:10 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
- Spanish Radio: WTTM 1680
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