May 10, 2023
The Phillies won a pair of games in between off days at Citizens Bank Park Tuesday and Wednesday for a brief 2-game sweep.
The series victory showcased some timely hitting and powerful pitching and has the Phillies a game from being back at .500 again.
As we do after each series, here are five awards:
The Phillies rotation has been unreliable and frustrating to start the year but against Toronto, both of their top arms pitched like aces. First on Tuesday, Nola went six strong allowing just two runs and five hits in a decisive Phillies win, 8-4.
Then Wednesday Wheeler outdid him, making it through seven innings scattering three hits and a solo homer. Outings like this are what will bide the Phillies time as they try and get healthy and find some sort of consistency with their bats before hittin season arrives this summer.
Realmuto — the best catcher in baseball — is no stranger to being clutch. He hit a memorable inside the park home run in the postseason last October and a game-winning homer in Houston in the World Series.
Add to those heroics a game-tying hit to get the Phillies on the board and force extra innings Wednesday:
Jacob 😤 Tyler 😤 Realmuto pic.twitter.com/OqPQ1IFR4m
— Phillies de Filadelfia (@losphillies) May 10, 2023
The Phillies had a pair of runners on in the 10th inning when Bryce Harper came to the plate with a chance to be a hero. A would-be groundout (and should have been inning-ending double play) turned into a walk off, after an error from the arm of Bo Bichette allowed Bryson Stott to score. A tight 2-1 victory — as ugly as it might have been — counts the same as a blowout win and the Phillies will take it.
Baseball! #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/55ax8C4smY
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 10, 2023
Prior to Wednesday afternoon, the Phillies made some relatively major moves in their pitching staff. With Jose Alvarado nursing an elbow injury (inflammation), the Phils put him on the injured list and welcomed back previously injured Andrew Bellatti.
And with the aid of two days off in four calendar days, they also made a move in the rotation to skip struggling Bailey Falter's next start, which would have been in Colorado (and could have been ugly — he has a 5.75 ERA). They'll be able to go with Ranger Suarez, Taijuan Walker and then Nola on regular rest before needing a fifth starter. We'll have to see if it does in fact wind up being Falter.
After resting on Thursday the Phillies will head to Denver to face the Rockies in a hitter friendly park that could help their offense keep it rolling. As we just mentioned, Walker, Suarez and Nola will get starts in the three-game set before they fly further west for their one series against the Giants in San Francisco.
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