SAN DIEGO — “Pyrrhic victory (noun): A victory that comes at a great cost, perhaps making the ordeal to win not worth it.”
The Phillies earned a Pyrrhic victory over the San Diego Padres on Saturday night. The offense scored three runs in the fifth inning against Padres starter Blake Snell, Zach Eflin went five mostly solid innings and an outstanding (actually, perfect) performance from the bullpen allowed a 4-2 lead to stand — without much anxiety — for the final four innings.
But the news that overshadowed it all: The Phillies lost their MVP for an indefinite amount of time. Bryce Harper exited the game after fracturing his thumb on a hit by pitch in the fourth inning, and if the three-run fifth inning that ensued was a product of payback, that’s a trade-off the Phillies wish would’ve never happened in the first place.
Of course, they could’ve lost Harper and the ballgame. Maybe the victory — Pyrrhic as it was — softened the blow, at least a little bit.
Harper hit, exits with fractured thumb
Maybe none of what happened beyond the fourth inning really even mattered. Harper took a 97.2-mph fastball to the hand. He was down on the ground in pain for about a minute, then walked off, but not before directing a few frustrated words at Snell.
Bryce Harper is out of the game after getting hit in the hand. This could be devastating for the Phillies season. pic.twitter.com/ST3Mmxze2d
It’s hard to blame Harper, especially considering the fact that something similar happened last year. On April 28, Cardinals reliever Génesis Cabrera hit Harper in the face with a 97-mph fastball, and it ricocheted off his left wrist. Harper missed a couple games, then hit .211 in May before landing on the injured list for almost two weeks.
Mickey Moniak will be called up, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic. More on Harper’s prognosis and its implications here.
Rob Thomson pulled all the right strings on Saturday.
After Eflin gave the Phillies five solid innings, Andrew Bellatti, Corey Knebel, Brad Hand and Seranthony Domínguez combined to throw four perfect frames.
Andrew Bellatti strikes out the side in the 6th inning! pic.twitter.com/2LSRPSud9T
Solid work by Brad Hand! pic.twitter.com/VyeVpKIY64
The bullpen has been great as of late. In fact, the group hasn’t allowed a run since Jeurys Familia’s four-run eighth inning on Tuesday, tossing 10 ⅓ shutout innings since then.
Phils have Harper’s back
One Phillies hitter who’ll absolutely have to step up in Harper’s absence is J.T. Realmuto. He seemed intent on doing just that in the fifth inning, cranking a solo homer off the iconic Western Metal Supply Co. building in left field for the first run of the ballgame.
J.T. gets his revenge. pic.twitter.com/hPwYlOiHjZ
Alec Bohm was next. His first extra-base hit in eight days was a double down the left field line, and after Didi Gregorius moved him to third with a single, Yairo Muñoz brought Bohm home with a groundout.
Muñoz’s out was also productive in that it moved Gregorius to scoring position, which Kyle Schwarber rewarded. His single on a 2-2 count scored Didi, and the Phillies jumped out to a 3-0 lead.
Kyle Schwarber sends Didi home and makes it a 3-0 game! pic.twitter.com/2f4YP3UW8d
It continued in the sixth, with many of the same parties involved. Realmuto walked with one out, then stole second before another Bohm double scored him — thanks to a deflection off the glove of C.J. Abrams.
Snell was pulled shortly thereafter, his Padres behind 4-0.
Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance
Blake Snell: 5 2/3 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR, 94 pitches (60 strikes)
Much like Joe Musgrove on Thursday, Snell was cruising early before running into some trouble in the middle innings. It’s not implausible that the Harper incident factored into some of that. In any case, the Phillies got to him in the fifth for four hits, a walk and three runs before tacking on another in the sixth.
Snell, whose ERA is now 5.60, was the losing pitcher. But that’s not how Phillies fans will remember his role in this game.
Zach Eflin: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR, 80 pitches (46 strikes)
Eflin’s line could have been worse, but it should have been better. He allowed leadoff runners in each of the first two innings but kept them on first. A bad read by Matt Vierling on Jorge Alfaro’s two-run double, and a flat-out biff once he still got to the spot, cost Eflin a pair of two-out runs in the fifth.
Pain pic.twitter.com/DnJd30cep1
Thomson said before the game that Eflin was a “full-go” despite dealing with a knee bruise earlier in the week. His hook at 80 pitches doesn’t necessarily make that inaccurate; he did throw 26 pitches in the fifth inning. (Andrew Bellatti struck out the side in the sixth, so all’s well that ends well.) Eflin’s ERA is 4.37.
Phillies Nugget Of The Game
J.T. Realmuto went 22 games without a homer. He now has 2 in his last 3.
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