Monday, April 25, 2022

Game 16 - Phils Shut Out by Brewers, Home Plate Ump

2022 Topps Phillies #PHI-8
Brewers 1
, Phillies 0
Game 16 - Sunday Night, April 24th in Philadelphia
Record - 6-10, 4th Place, 5 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies came out on the wrong end of this pitcher's duel as the Brewers squeaked by with a 1-0 win.

What It Means:  The Phillies won their opening series against the Athletics, and they've lost the next four series to follow.  They'll try to right the ship with a four-game set against the Rockies beginning tonight.

What Happened:  Aaron Nola and Brewers' starter Eric Lauer both pitched well in this game, and both were beneficiaries of a confusing an inconsistent strike zone by home plate umpire Angel Hernandez.  Lauer struck out 13 over six innings and Nola countered with nine strikeouts over seven innings.  The game was scoreless until the top of the ninth, when a bloop single from Jace Peterson dropped in between center fielder Odubel Herrera and shortstop Johan Camargo.  Peterson would ultimately score on a Christian Yelich sacrifice fly.  In the bottom of the ninth, Kyle Schwarber had seen enough and was ejected by Hernandez after a particularly bad third strike call.  Schwarber got his money's worth, and was justified in his frustration, but the Phillies were retired to end the game.

Featured Card:  This was Nola's fourth start of the year and by far his best.  He allowed just one hit and a walk in this outing and unfortunately the Phillies offense couldn't push across any runs against Lauer and three Brewers relievers.  This card is from the retail Topps Phillies team set, and is most likely a preview of what Nola's flagship card will look like when 2022 Topps Series Two releases in a few months.

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