Phillies show London what they’ve got with explosive innings to beat Mets originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
LONDON – As soon as the sun went down, the bats came out.
The Phillies fell silently through the first three innings at London Stadium on Saturday afternoon, appearing unaffected by the glare in center field. Five of the game’s first 15 hitters batted while looking, several appearing not to see the ball.
Then the shine faded and the Phillies offense exploded, torching left-hander Sean Manaea for six runs in the fourth inning of a 7-2 victory.
Bryce Harper got the party started with a solo blast to right field, one batter after JT Realmuto smoked a 109 mph lineout to center.
Bryson Stott hit a double walk – a long plate appearance that eased the rest of the rally – and was singled out by Edmundo Sosa.
Then came the biggest moment of the inning, the biggest moment of the game and the biggest moment Whit Merrifield had as a Phillie. Manaea threw a middle changeup at 86 mph and Merrifield crushed it to left field for a three-run home run.
Harper celebrated his bomb with a football-like knee from outside the Phillies dugout. Merrifield reacted by looking up at the sky as he crossed home plate as if to say, “Finally.”
It’s been a tough few months for Merrifield, who entered batting .171 in 117 games. He was the only player on the Opening Day roster who didn’t really come together or have a major game-changing moment.
That should earn Merrifield a little more goodwill from the many fans on social media who are ready to cut bait two months into his one-year, $8 million contract.
Most importantly, he helped a tired Phillies team win the series opener, their first game outside of North America.
As Harper mentioned in the third inning, the Phils are traveling through 18 different time zones in 17 days. When they land in Boston on Sunday night, they will have flown approximately 18,845 miles in less than three weeks. Saturday’s win made them 8-5 during that grueling stretch and 45-19 on the season. The lead over the Braves is up to 8 and a half games.
The size of the London Stadium certainly played an important role in the game. Nick Castellanos, who homered in the eighth inning, said before batting practice that it’s the busiest field he’s ever played on. That was apparent on Sosa’s RBI single in the fourth. He hit the pitch and Starling Marte seemed to decide early on that he would rather bounce it than risk letting it bounce over his head. He played correctly, but the ball still bounced about 15 feet after hitting the grass.
Ranger Suarez made his first start since being hit in the left hand by a 105 mph line drive last weekend. He didn’t have command in the first inning, putting three men on base and allowing an RBI single to Marte.
The opening scene could have been substantially worse. Home plate umpire Mike Muchlinski classified a pitch far off base as a strike to steal a walk from Brandon Nimmo, who flew out. And on Marte’s double, any player on either side except JD Martinez would have scored first. The 36-year-old DH came in third.
Suarez settled in after the rough first inning and took a big strikeout from Nimmo with no outs and two men in scoring position in the bottom of the fifth. “How many guns can one guy have?” Fox announcer and 200-game winner Adam Wainwright asked as Suarez dodged the threat.
Damage minimization continues to be an important factor in the Phillies’ success. Orion Kerkering relieved Suarez with two on and two out in the sixth and struck out Francisco Lindor on a hit that included a 100 mph fastball. It was the second time he reached triple figures in the majors and he did it again the seventh time, against Nimmo.
Kerkering continues to gain confidence in his heater after throwing almost exclusively sliders late last season, and he’s a better pitcher because of it. He retired all four batters he faced with three strikeouts and owns a 1.19 ERA.
The Phillies will be the “home team” on Sunday afternoon to close out the two-game series. It will be Taijuan Walker against lefty Jose Quintana as the Phils look to leave London with a sweep.
