BOSTON -- Asked the other day to sum up the first half of the Phillies’ season, Rhys Hoskins answered like this: “We’ve gone through some [stuff].”
Only the first baseman didn’t say “stuff.”
It’s an interesting narrative. Yes, the Phillies dealt with injuries and crushing losses. But the former was mostly short-term issues and nagging problems with multiple Bryce Harper body parts, while the latter was self-inflicted thanks to a bullpen that leads baseball with 22 blown saves and porous defense at most positions.
Hoskins’ point, though, that the Phillies haven’t had their full lineup on the field very often, is well-taken. Layer on top of it that third baseman Alec Bohm tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday night and three players, including Sunday’s scheduled starter Aaron Nola, were taken out by contact tracing. Just more stuff for the pile.
Yet the Phillies got to the All-Star break with a .500 record after hanging on for a 5-4 victory here Sunday against the Boston Red Sox. They scored early against old pal Nick Pivetta, got three solid innings from just-recalled lefty Cristopher Sánchez, and a gutsy 45-pitch save from Ranger Suárez to close the week with a 5-2 record at Wrigley Field and Fenway Park and the first half with a 44-44 mark.
It was their best road trip in, what, at least two years? And it was the first time since a four-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers in May that they could seriously make the claim that they’re beginning to build momentum.
Suárez may be the symbol of the Phillies’ resurgence. Manager Joe Girardi installed him as the closer last week after both Héctor Neris and José Alvarado faltered. But Suárez isn’t the prototypical closer. He’s actually a converted starter, with the ability to pitch multiple innings, a skill that came in handy Sunday.
With Nola unable to pitch, Girardi pieced the game together with an opener (Brandon Kintzler) for four batters, Sanchez for three innings, and a collection of relievers. By the time he called on Suárez, there were two outs in the seventh inning.
Suárez worked out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the eighth inning by calmly getting Alex Verdugo to ground out. Then, he plowed through the heart of the Red Sox’ order -- J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, and Rafael Devers -- in the ninth.
It marked the Phillies’ first seven-out save in a one-run game since Don Carman on June 19, 1985, and it would’ve made Tug McGraw proud.
The Phillies took three out of four games in Chicago, but even then, the Cubs are free-falling. Winning two out of three against the American League-leading Red Sox was eye-opening, especially after getting routed in the series opener Friday night.
How big is Toe?
The question was posed to Hoskins a few weeks ago: Where would the Phillies be without Ronald Torreyes?
“Yeah,” Hoskins said, chuckling, “he’s been a spark plug, right?”
More like a savior.
Torreyes, dubbed “Toe” by Girardi, has started 31 of the last 46 games, standing in primarily for Gregorius but Sunday for Bohm. He is 31-for-115 (.270) with three home runs and 18 RBIs in those games and played solid defense.
There’s a reason why he has been a Girardi favorite going back to their time together with the New York Yankees.
No way, José
Alvarado usually turns out the lights at Fenway Park. For a change, the big lefty let the Red Sox back into the game.
Alvarado gave up two runs on four hits and got only two outs in the sixth inning to shave the Phillies’ lead to 5-4. It marked the first time in 14 career appearances (12 innings) at Fenway that he gave up a run, dating to his years with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Up next
Catcher J.T. Realmuto and pitcher Zack Wheeler will attend the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Denver. After the four-day break, the Phillies will play 24 games in 24 days, beginning with a doubleheader at home Friday night against the Miami Marlins.
