Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Game 119 - Twins Pitching, Home Plate Ump Dominate Phils

1989 Score #357
Twins 3
, Phillies 0
Game 119 - Sunday Afternoon, August 13th in Philadelphia
Record - 65-54, 2nd Place, 11 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies couldn't overcome the Twins' pitching or a rookie home plate umpire in this 3-0 defeat.

What It Means:  This was an extremely anti-climatic end to the 10-game homestand that saw the Phillies go 6-4 with a no-hitter thrown, a blow-out in the opener against the Twins, and good vibes from Alumni Weekend.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez battled through 6 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out eight.  The Phillies' offense couldn't get anything going against Sonny Gray and four Twins' relievers, managing only five hits, and striking out 11 times.  In the seventh, the Phillies loaded the bases with one out, but Kyle Schwarber popped up and Alec Bohm struck out looking to end the threat.  The called third strike on Bohm was at least a few inches inside, leading to Bohm's ejection by the home plate umpire.  Manager Rob Thomson would follow Bohm with his own ejection an inning later.

Featured Card:  This game was a bummer, but the pregame ceremony honoring returning alumni from the 1983 and 1993 National League Championship teams was awesome.  My all-time favorite player, Bob Dernier, was a big part of the weekend, signing as many autographs as requested and spending an inning in the broadcast booth during this game.

Transaction:  The Phillies swapped bullpen arms, recalling Luis Ortiz (rhp) from the IronPigs and sending Yunior Marte (rhp) back down.

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