Game 125 - First Family Trip to the Ballpark Since May

Rays 3, Phillies 1
Game 125 - Tuesday Night, August 24th in Philadelphia
Record - 63-62, 2nd Place, 4 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  More lack of clutch hitting against a tough Rays' pitching staff and a rough inning from Archie Bradley led to this 3-1 loss.

What It Means:  The Braves also lost, so the Phillies stay put in the standings.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez pitched a gem, going 6 2/3 innings (his longest outing of the year) and allowing a run on six hits.  Bradley came on in the eighth with the score tied, 1-1, and allowed a lead-off single to Brett Phillips before hitting Randy Arozarena.  Nelson Cruz then doubled home both Phillips and Arozarena, although Odubel Herrera didn't help matters when he whiffed on the ball and it rolled to the warning track.  The Phillies only run came in the fourth when Brad Miller doubled home Didi Gregorius.  Gregorius had two of the team's six hits, with the offense going 0 for 5 overall with runners in scoring position.

Featured Card/Field Report:  And we were there!  After enjoying dinner in the Boardwalk area of the ballpark, near Bull's BBQ, and getting the requisite photo and autograph from the Bull himself, Greg Luzinski, we settled into our seats in the Diamond Club.  Doug received his first in person autograph in two years when Miller graciously signed his scorecard prior to the game.  It was muggy and the game honestly flew by, especially as it was our first game as a family since late May.  Unfortunately, the Phillies couldn't pull out the win and as Bryce Harper would say on Wednesday, the team is basically just "wasting time" at this point.

Transactions:  Freddy Galvis (inf) and Sam Conrad (rhp) were both activated from the injured list.  Jorge Bonifacio (of) was designated for assignment and Enyel De Los Santos (rhp) was optioned to Lehigh Valley.

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