Sunday, July 16, 2023

Game 83 - Suarez Slammed by Nats; Castellanos is an All-Star

2023 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards
Nationals 5
, Phillies 4
Game 83 - Sunday Afternoon, July 2nd in Philadelphia
Record - 44-39, 3rd Place, 12 games behind the Braves

Completely Unnecessary Post-Vacation Game Recap Post 4 of 10

One Sentence Summary:  A pair of home runs doomed Ranger Suarez and the Phillies, as the Nationals stunned the Phillies a day after being demolished.

What It Means:  I kept brief notes on my phone during our cruise, knowing I'd want to eventually catch up with game summary posts for the games we had missed.  For this game, I wrote, "Crappy loss, [Nick] Castellanos is the only All-Star."  I think I was just as bummed as the Phillies getting only one All-Star as I was with the loss.  We were hopeful Bryce Harper would be voted by the fans to be the starting DH for the National League.  (Craig Kimbrel would join Castellanos on the All-Star roster a few days later.)

What Happened:  The game started well for the Phillies with Castellanos hitting a solo home in the first and J.T. Realmuto following with a two-run home run after Harper had singled.  It was all downhill from there.  Suarez loaded the bases in the third on a single and two walks before Stone Garrett connected for a grand slam to left center field.  Jeimer Candeleario would add a solo home run in the fifth.

Featured Card:  This is the All-Star's team-issued 2023 photo card, available not in set form this year, but individually or within select memorabilia grab bags.

Transaction:  Before the game, Darrick Hall (1b) was recalled from Lehigh Valley and Kody Clemens (inf) was optioned down.  Hall went 1 for 4 in his return to the Phillies' line-up.

No comments: