The Phillies did not yet have a hit — or even put a ball in play — in the seventh inning of Friday night’s 5-1 win over Toronto, but the bases were loaded and the tying run had scored.
They walked three times to load the bases before J.T. Realmuto’s two-out walk tied the game at 1. The Phils struck out 12 times before Realmuto took a full-count slider for ball four. So they were pleased to take a run however it came.
And then, finally, they made contact.
Rhys Hoskins’ double to left cleared the bases and Alec Bohm doubled him in as the Phils scored five runs in the inning with just two hits. The inning propelled them to their third win in four games and ensured that another strong start by Vince Velasquez would not be wasted.
A win on Saturday or Sunday in Dunedin, Fla. — where the Blue Jays are playing their home games — would give the Phillies consecutive road-series wins for the first time since July of 2019.
Velasquez allowed just one run in 5 2/3 innings, lowering his ERA to 2.84 in five starts since returning to the rotation. He struck out seven, walked three, allowed three hits, and his lone run allowed came on a homer in the sixth by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Velasquez has reached the sixth inning in three straight starts, seeming to solidify his place in the rotation.
Two months earlier, Velasquez said after pitching in a spring-training game at the same Dunedin, Fla., ballpark that he knew his time with the Phillies was at a crossroads last winter. He would’ve understood, Velasquez said, if they let him go during the offseason. If this was his last opportunity in Philly, Velasquez said he didn’t want to “end on a bad note.”
And there he was Friday night at 8,500-seat TD Ballpark pitching into the sixth inning against one of baseball’s premier lineups. He was given an opportunity last month to fill in for Matt Moore when the left-hander was sidelined for having close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Velasquez was expected to start just a game or two. It was an opportunity.
Velasquez pitched good enough that Moore was moved to the bullpen as Velasquez has given the Phillies the quality innings they need from the back of their rotation. It was hard to know in March if Velasquez’ spring-training comments were foretelling of the pitcher he would be in 2021 or just more empty pre-season platitudes.
After five starts, it’s easy to see that Velasquez is not wasting his opportunity.
Velasquez did not allow a hit since the second inning before Guerrero jumped on his fastball in the sixth for the game’s first run. Velasquez faced just two more batters before Connor Brogdon, Sam Coonrod, Jose Alvarado, and Hector Neris pieced together the final 10 outs.
Velasquez was excellent, but even one run seemed like too much with the way the offense had struggled. And then Andrew Knapp walked to start the seventh inning. Nick Maton and Andrew McCutchen struck out, before Jean Segura kept the inning alive with a walk. Bryce Harper — who reached base five times — walked on five pitches to load the bases. That one-run no longer seemed so daunting. Soon, the game was tied. And then it broke open.
