Pittsburgh – The Phillies Powerball didn’t hit Thursday night, but they hit their magic number.
four.
When Velez score at least four runs, it’s hard to beat them. They scored their fourth in the second inning Thursday night and beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-7, behind Zach Wheeler at PNC Park.
Winning was harder than it should have been.
The 8-2 match was headed to the bottom of the ninth. Jeurys Familia was flagged for five runs in the inning, forcing Seranthony Dominguez to come to the rescue.
“You’re up 8-2, and you don’t think you’re going to need your relatives, but it does happen sometimes,” said Rob Thompson, head coach.
“But I thought we played very well. We swung the bats really well. Everyone got injured. We played really good defense.”
Phillies are 24-2 the last 26 times they’ve scored four or more runs and 43-16 of the season on those occasions.
Not very shabby.
The victory over the Buccaneers, in the opening game of a series of four major games days before the trade deadline, left the Phils at 52-47 on the season, and tied with St. Louis for control of the NL’s third and final wild card place. Phils has the upper hand over the Cardinals based on the season series win between the two teams.
Phils entered Pittsburgh in the wake of their 7-2 win over Atlanta on Sunday. The Pirates entered the match with eight defeats in their previous 10 matches and were 18 games under 0.500. Furthermore, they are the worst offensive team in the National League. All this led to a mismatch in favor of Velez, but this did not guarantee anything. Earlier in the week, the Phillies were swept away by the Chicago Cubs, another NL Central team with a poor record and no chance of making the post-season.
Thompson warned against underestimating pirates when he said on Sunday, “Don’t take anything for granted. You go in there, you play your game. You step forward and put your foot on the pedal and run over people.”
Velez wasted no time getting out front. They had four straight one-time hits, including a triple hitter by Darek Hall and an RBI single by Nick Castellanos, in scoring three runs in the first inning against Pittsburgh quarterback Zach Thompson.
Alec Boom was one of the hits in the first half. Added RBI song per second.
Bohm finished third in the standings while Thompson rested hunting GT Rilamoto. Bohm has rocked the bat brilliantly for the past month. He’s scored 0.418 (36 for 86) in his last 23 games and riding 13 games in a row. Bohm also put in a great defensive play at third base behind Wheeler in the fifth inning.
“Simplicity, don’t try to do too much,” Bohm said of his recent success on the board. “Seeing the ball off the board and swinging it. And the swing is working properly. I’ve been on time quite a lot lately and I think that leads to success.
“You’re only as good as the pitches you swing on. So keeping it simple and being on time are key to me.”
Wheeler praised Bohm after the match.
“He’s a good, solid hitter,” said the pitcher. “He hits the ball on the opposite court really well. He is very disciplined. These guys are hard to face just from experience, guys who can hit the ball on the opposite court. He also fills the gap for strength so it’s good to have one of these guys on your team.”
Giving Wheeler a four-round lead in the second half is like giving a hungry dog a T-bone. He doesn’t give it up.
The right-hander went seven innings and only allowed three hits and two runs. Walk three and hit eight. He wasn’t allowed to run until 7 when he gave up the two-round Homer to Cal Mitchell.
During his last 16 starts, Wheeler made 101 rounds and allowed only 23 earned rounds for a 2.05 ERA.
The funny thing is, Wheeler said he was “out of reach” in his last two starts. He only gave up three runs in 14 runs in those starts. He should be really good when he finds out why he stopped.
“I couldn’t tell you,” he said of his tiny flaw. “I’m trying to find out.”
Phillies beat the Pirates, 15-7. Castellanos received three blows to Phils. Kyle Schwarber crushed 32nd place Homer.
Good way to start a streak, except for the part about having to use your closest in a six-stroke game at the start of the ninth game. Thompson didn’t worry. He said Dominguez would still be available Friday night.
Lefty Bailey Falter goes to Phils at that. Lefty Jose Quintana will play for the Pirates. Phillies is looking to add an initial offer before Tuesday’s trade deadline. Quintana is a lot available and could be a good fit for Phillies.
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