Stott leads shorthanded Phillies to inspiring win over Mets originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
NEW YORK — A game that looked like a Phillies rout from the bottom of the second to the bottom of the eighth turned into the latest example of their depth and ability to persevere.
Trailing two runs in the ninth inning against Edwin Diaz, one of baseball’s most electric outfielders, the Phillies got closer on Bryson Stott’s solo home run and tied the game when Alec Bohm was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. The tying run was scored by Kody Clemens, who pinch-hit for Edmundo Sosa and scored a batter after Stott’s home run.
Orion Kerkering, pitching back-to-back days for the first time this season, went 1-2-3 through the Mets’ order in the bottom of the ninth, retiring Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and J.D. Martinez to set up more extra-inning heroics from Stott. Kerkering made everything seem much easier than it really was.
Stott fell behind on an 0-2 count to Mets reliever Sean Reid-Foley in the top of the 10th, but fought back to drill a sacrifice fly to deep right field. Bryce Harper crossed the plate on the go-ahead signal and Jose Alvarado blanked the Mets for a 5-4 victory.
“It was a great win,” said coach Rob Thomson. “We keep winning games in different ways, getting contributions from all kinds of people. That’s who they are. They keep fighting. They’re resilient.”
You don’t think of Stott as the type of player who can attack, but he essentially did last week. He has driven in 11 runs in his last eight games. He has reached base in 12 of his last 19 plate appearances and narrowly missed a three-inning home run before doing so on Monday night.
“This guy is a stud,” Marsh said. “He showed that every day last year. It was only a matter of time before it started clicking and there’s no better time than now.
“It started with Stotter. He set the tone for us and we just leaned on him after that. Diaz is disgusting. He’s the best there is, an incredible talent, much closer. For us to get to him tonight was huge.” “
The 29-13 Phillies have yet to lose consecutive games since April 23-24 in Cincinnati.
It was a bizarre start for Cristopher Sanchez, who threw just 10 pitches in a 1-2-3 first inning but needed 50 to record the next four outs. He allowed two runs in the bottom of the second and his third inning was a rollercoaster.
Sanchez got the first four Mets on base in the bottom of the third with a double, single and two walks. He struck out Brett Baty with the bases loaded for the first out, then cautiously walked off the mound and had his hand examined by a trainer. He was dealing with a stinger that appears every now and then and needs to be removed. Sanchez responded by striking out three straight on nine pitches.
After looking like he couldn’t get out of the third, Sanchez pitched a 1-2-3 fourth inning, retired the team in the fifth and would have posted a “quality start” if not for his own two-out error. in the sixth. The Phillies needed extra length because Spencer Turnbull, the only true long man in the bullpen, pitched an inning of relief on Sunday and was likely unavailable on Monday because he is not used to going back-to-back days.
“The biggest thing I’m proud of him for is overcoming adversity,” Thomson said. “He had foul trouble, long innings in the second and third, and he just settled in and kept pitching. That’s the growth of this guy. He’s really incredible.”
“Loading the bases and him coming out of it with those three punches saved us the game,” Marsh added.
The Phillies were shorthanded again on Monday, with Kyle Schwarber (lower back soreness) and JT Realmuto (right knee soreness) out of the starting lineup. Trea Turner will miss another month with a hamstring strain. The Phils have done an admirable job the last few seasons playing through injuries to key players like Harper, Rhys Hoskins, Alvarado and Ranger Suarez, but they also haven’t had three of their best hitters out at the same time.
Schwarber struck out in the ninth inning and struck out. He will be back in the lineup Tuesday afternoon, Thomson said. Realmuto is day to day and his status for Tuesday is TBD.
The Phillies have Aaron Nola on the field at 1:10 p.m. for the final of the first leg of this two-game home-and-home series. Jose Butto, the first right-handed starting pitcher the Phils have faced in five games, is going to the Mets.
“I don’t think we had anyone else off the bench other than JT,” Stott said. “The guys in the bullpen came in and did their job, got hits, had shutout innings. Sanchez throwing those five innings and a couple strikeouts was huge. It was a gutsy performance from him and the guys coming off the bench.”
