So, I didn't recap the last two games, but that's mainly because they started hours later than they do on the East coast. With that being said, I'm going to recap the entire series against the Dodgers tonight, and most of it isn't very good.
Series Recap:
The Phillies saw their six game winning streak come to an end against the Dodgers in the first game of this series with a 5-3 loss. In the second game, the Phils took a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning, but Hector Neris allowed three straight home runs, and Joely Rodriguez couldn't keep the game tied, as the Dodgers won 6-5. Today, Nick Pivetta made his first big league start, and made it through five innings, but the Phillies were down 2-1 when he left, and Jeanmar Gomez allowed a three run home run to Andrew Toles in the sixth inning to put the game out of reach. A two run home run by Odubel Herrera in the ninth inning wasn't enough, and the Phillies were swept after a second 5-3 loss.
What went right?
Keep in mind, I'm going to be breaking down the entire series.
Cesar Hernandez managed a hit in each game and scored two runs.
Freddy Galvis kept his hit streak alive and drove in three.
Zach Eflin pitched seven innings of two run baseball on Saturday night. He struck out four while not walking a batter.
Nick Pivetta didn't have the best game on Sunday, but he pitched fairly well. In his first start, he allowed two runs on nine hits in five innings. The rookie also struck out five while walking a single batter.
Daniel Nava played in all three games of this series, and went 2-6 at the plate with three walks and a run batted in.
What went wrong?
Jerad Eickoff didn't have the best start on Friday night, as he only lasted five innings. He gave up five runs on nine hits in his time on the mound. He also walked three and struck out three.
Hector Neris had a horrible game on Saturday night. He gave up three straight home runs to blow his first save of the season. It was not a good game at all for the supposed Phillies closer.
Joely Rodriguez allowed the final two hits on Saturday night for the Los Angeles comeback. While Joely recorded an out, Adrian Gonzalez managed a "hit" past Maikel Franco that scored the game winning run.
Jeanmar Gomez flushed whatever chances the Phillies had on Sunday down the tubes by allowing three runs on a home run from Andrew Toles in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Maikel Franco struggled at the plate all series, going 2-12 with three strikeouts in Sunday's game.
Aaron Altherr was even worse, going 0-7 while striking out four times.
Series Analysis:
Going into this weekend, there were not many people that thought the Phillies would perform well against the Los Angeles Dodgers. After this weekend, those people betting against the Phillies have been proven correct, as the Dodgers finished off a three game sweep of the Phillies with a 5-3 win today in Los Angeles.
Coming into town with six straight wins, the Phillies had momentum on their side, but they were shut down quickly by the Los Angeles starting pitching. Even though they didn't have to face Clayton Kershaw or 20 year old Julio Urias, the Phillies struggled against all three starting pitchers for Los Angeles. Kenta Maeda picked up his second win of the season, while Hyun-Jin Ryu won his first Major League start since 2014 on Sunday. Ryu also managed to set a season high in strikeouts with nine in just five and a third innings, which raises a lot of questions about the patience that the Phillies should be showing at the plate. Today, Ryu has his best off speed pitches going, but the Phillies still should have been able to hit a few of them, especially in the first inning, when the Phils had an early lead and Ryu on the ropes.
The starting pitching was solid for two games, but in the opener, Jerad Eickoff struggled. He allowed five runs on nine hits in less than six innings of work in what was easily his worst start of the season. While the bullpen didn't allow much noise after Eickoff left the game, it was still troubling to see the talented prospect have such a shaky game. However, as I said with Nick Pivetta on the mound on Sunday, the Los Angeles lineup is not necessarily one that young pitchers want to make their name against.
The only good thing that the first game of this series had going for it was the pitching out of the bullpen. Three pitchers allowed just one hit and struck out two for the remainder of the game. In contrast, Hector Neris had possibly the worst game of his career on Saturday night, as he allowed three straight home runs to the Dodgers and blew a 5-2 lead. Even after he left the game, the Dodgers weren't done. Joely Rodriguez couldn't stop them, and the Phillies somehow managed to turn a three run lead into a one run loss in just a single inning of work.
Today, the focus was on Jeanmar Gomez, and he certainly didn't deliver. After Pivetta was lifted before the sixth inning, Gomez came in to pitch. He allowed a single around two strikeouts before walking (former OMG Phillie) Chase Utley. Andrew Toles was up next, and he hit a three run home run that would put the Dodgers ahead for the rest of the day. To be honest with everyone, I'm over Jeanmar Gomez at this point. He's struggling to be a long relief pitcher, and he's certainly not a closer either. While I read an article today that said the Phillies might be leaning back towards him to close games, that might be the worst idea I've heard in quite some time.
Yes, the Phillies have had plenty of struggles in the bullpen this year. In fact, that's where almost all of the pains from this last series have come from. The bullpen wasted an excellent effort from Zach Eflin in the second game of the series, and if Jeanmar Gomez hadn't allowed a three run home run in the sixth inning, perhaps Odubel Herrera's home run in the top of the ninth would have given the Phillies the lead. However, there's no guarantee that Hector Neris would have been able to finish the game out. Neris had his worst showing yet as a closer on Saturday, allowing three straight home runs and blowing his first save of the season.
Saturdays loss certainly stung more than the ones on Friday and Sunday, because Phillies fans believed that they should have won on Saturday. Neris' ninth inning, and the lack of hustle from Maikel Franco on the game winning single allowed the Dodgers to win instead. While this series was frustrating for the Phillies, the fans need to move on and see what other teams are on the horizon.
There's no rest at all for the Phils this week, as they take on the Chicago Cubs tomorrow night. Vince Velasquez (1-2, 6.33 ERA) is pitching for the Phillies. Brett Anderson (2-0, 3.54 ERA) will pitch for the defending World Series champions.
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