Philadelphia Phillies lose Game 1 of NLDS 6-2 as New York Mets rally in 8th inning
The New York Mets rallied late to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, after being held scoreless for seven innings by Phillies ace Zack Wheeler.
Philadelphia took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning with a leadoff home run by Kyle Schwarber but struggled offensively for the rest of the game. But despite Schwarber and Wheeler's efforts, the Phillies could not sustain momentum.
Even in a month dubbed Red October, the Phillies haven't shown many signs of being spooked by the shadows. Game 1 of the National League Division Series hit differently.
Just like the last two postseason games at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies offense was nonexistent in the 6-2 loss to the New York Mets. The Phillies mustered just five hits in the loss, hitting just .156 as a team against a Mets pitching staff that used five different pitchers to shut them down.
Was it the five days rest that cost the Phillies offense? The 4 p.m. start time did them no favors.
"I feel like from the first inning through the seventh inning, it was really hard to see the baseball," said Nick Castellanos, explaining the lack of production on offense. "I think on both sides. What, did we have three hits in the first seven innings? And then, I think both teams -- after the sun was behind the stadium -- put together some better at-bats."
The Mets had just one hit in the first seven innings off Zack Wheeler, as the Phillies ace shut them down in his 111 pitches. Wheeler struck out nine and walked four in his seven innings of work, recording 30 swings and misses in the game -- the most by any Phillies pitcher in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008). Of the Phillies postseason performances where a pitcher went 7-or-more scoreless innings while allowing 1-or-fewer hits, Wheeler has two of them.
And yet, the Phillies ended up with just two hits in Wheelers' seven innings -- both of them from Kyle Schwarber. The rest of the lineup went 0-for-20 in those seven innings (Schwarber went 2-for-3).
"It's just a lot harder to see the baseball,' Castellanos said. "It's kinda like it is when we have that 1:30 [p.m.] start. When it gets to the back end of the game, it gets more difficult. Four o'clock start, it gets harder when there's no clouds in the sky. It will get easier when the game goes on, when you look at the box score it was just that."
The Phillies and Mets did combine for 10 hits in the final two innings, but the damage was done in the eighth inning by the Mets. Once Wheeler exited, the Mets scored five runs off five hits in the inning. Jeff Hoffman couldn't get an out as he was charged with giving up three runs, while Matt Strahm gave up two runs of his own relieving Hoffman -- only getting one out.
Perhaps it was the shadows. Perhaps it was Wheeler. The Mets took advantage of only being down 1-0 when Wheeler exited, while the Phillies couldn't build off a leadoff home run by Schwarber that had the Mets in an early hole.
The 5-through-9 hitters hit 1-for-17, the lone hit was by Kody Clemens -- who pinch hit -- in the ninth. The starters went 0-for-16.
The Phillies are going to have to deal with those same shadows in Game 2 on Sunday, their biggest one of the season. They also have to figure out how to hit in Citizens Bank Park again, too, as the Phillies have scored just five runs in their last three postseason games at home -- all losses.
"We kind of got a little bit of practice today," said Trea Turner of the shadows. "It's tough, you see certain pitchers and sometimes at-bats are better or worse. You don't know what to think all the time. You gotta grind it out. It's not fun, but they are dealing with the same thing over there. Been playing quite a few 4 o'clock postseason games in my career and that always seems to be the case. One team wins, so we gotta find a way."
The Phillies aren't using the shadows as an excuse, although it's very easy to interpret it as such. Their season is on the line.
"It's gonna be a grind. It's gonna be the same for us as it is for them," Castellanos said. "We're gonna have to find a way to deal with it."
UP NEXT
The Mets send RHP Luis Severino to the mound in Game 2. He won Game 1 of the Wild Card Series in Milwaukee. Severino allowed eight hits and four runs — three earned — in six innings.
The Phillies have All-Star and new dad Cristopher Sánchez on the mound for Game 2.
