Sunday, October 6, 2024

NLDS Game 1 - Phils Waste Wheeler's Gem


Mets 6
Phillies 2
NLDS Game 1 - Saturday Afternoon, October 5th in Philadelphia
Mets lead series, 1-0

One Sentence Summary:  Zack Wheeler pitched one of the best games of his career, but a quiet Phillies offense couldn't support the ace's outing in this nauseating 6-2 loss.

What It Means:  The Phillies will try for a home split this afternoon with Cristopher Sanchez on the mound.  Games 3 and 4 will be Tuesday and Wednesday in Flushing.

What Happened:  Wheeler allowed one single in seven innings of work, while walking four and striking out nine.  Phillies Notes posted on X that Wheeler now has a 2.18 ERA in 12 career starts and 13 games overall in the postseason.  His nine strikeouts give him 77 for the postseason, tying him with Cole Hamels for the franchise all-time lead.

Kyle Schwarber gave us the only thing to cheer about from the offensive side, leading off the game with a second deck home run off Mets' starter Kodai Senga.  From that point on, Senga, David Peterson, Reed Garrett and Phil Maton limited the potent Phillies' line-up to three hits between the first and eighth innings.  The Phillies were 2 for 8 with runners in scoring position.

Wheeler departed after seven innings, and the usually dependable Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering gave us a nightmare top of the eighth inning.  The Mets batted around, scoring five runs on five hits and a walk, giving them an insurmountable 5-1 lead.

Featured Card:  Let's hope this is the first of many postseason subset cards from this year's Chachi set.

Field Report:  Jenna and I attended this game from our preferred perch in Section 315.  We arrived more than an hour before game-time, giving us plenty of time to check out (and purchase) some postseason merchandise and pose for a picture in front of the awesome mural right outside Pass and Stowe.  Settling into our seats, we waved our towels and cheered throughout the pregame ceremony, Schwarber's home run, and every Wheeler inning.  But the thing we kept saying, along with 45,000-plus other fans in attendance, was "We need more runs."  We departed the ballpark quickly and quietly, hoping for some life from the bats on Sunday.

Transaction:  Taijuan Walker (rhp) and Buddy Kennedy (inf) were left off the NLDS roster, with Kolby Allard (lhp) and Weston Wilson (inf) both making the cut.

No comments: