Brandon Kintzler’s first Phillies save came in the fourth inning | Extra Innings

Did you know you were watching something special on that April night in 1993 when the Phillies walked off the San Diego Padres on John Kruk’s homer in the 14th inning? No, of course you didn’t.

How about that Tuesday night in April 2008 when they overcame a three-run deficit with four runs in the ninth inning to beat the Houston Astros? Probably not.

It’s silly, then, to make too much of a rousing eighth-inning comeback in Game 4 of a 162-game season. But do yourself a favor: File away what the Phillies did Monday night against the New York Mets before an announced crowd of 10,782 fans who turned giveaway T-shirts into rally towels at Citizens Bank Park.

You might want to look back on it six months from now.

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— Scott Lauber (extrainnings@inquirer.com)

Brandon Kintzler likes to say he has pitched in every possible role in his 12 seasons as a major-league reliever, and for the most part, it’s true. But before Monday night, guess how often he had entered a game as early as the fourth inning.

Six times. In 454 career appearances.

If Kintzler is leaving the bullpen in the fourth inning, something has usually gone very wrong. But there he was, coming in for his Phillies debut with one out, the bases loaded, and the New York Mets having taken a 2-0 lead against starter Matt Moore.

“If it turns into 4 or 5, with [Mets ace Jacob] deGrom on the mound, the game is pretty much over,” Kintzler said. “My job is to get a double play right there, or at least limit the damage.”

Kintzler did his job perfectly. He threw his signature sinkers four times in a row to Kevin Pillar, getting him to roll over the last one for an inning-ending, rally-squelching double play.

And when the Phillies roared back for five runs in the eighth inning against Mets relievers Trevor May and Aaron Loup and emerged with a 5-3 victory, Kintzler was the unsung hero.

“I can’t say enough about what Kintzler did,” manager Joe Girardi said. “The game could have gotten away from us. It changes the whole complexion.”

Kintzler, a 36-year-old right-hander who made the team out of spring training after signing a minor-league contract in February, has been a closer for most of the last four seasons. Last year, he finished second in the National League with 12 saves for the upstart Miami Marlins. Since 2017, he has entered only one game earlier than the fourth inning.

And he watched from the bullpen last weekend as the Phillies leaned on four relievers (Connor Brogdon, Archie Bradley, José Alvarado, and closer Héctor Neris) in a season-opening sweep of the Atlanta Braves.

But in the fourth game of the season, after the Phillies fell behind for the first time in 32 innings, Girardi called on Kintzler to slam the door. Just a little earlier than usual.

“You’ve got to be ready for that,” Kintzler said. “The situation called for me. It was my job. It’s something I’m excited about. I love being in that situation. The game is on the line in the fourth. We’re all closers of our own innings, so you’ve got to close out that inning.”

Girardi might use Kintzler to put out similar fires going forward, especially if Neris, Alvarado, Bradley and the emerging Brogdon continue to safeguard late-inning leads. With Kintzler’s experience shutting down games, the Phillies could use him to shut off potentially big innings whenever they occur.

Asked why he liked Kintzler in that situation against the Mets, Girardi offered two reasons.

“A, he’s been in a lot of tough situations in his career,” Girardi said. “And B, I was looking for a ground ball. He’s used to being a closer and coming in in tough situations, and in a sense, that was the biggest situation in the game.”

Baseball is more fun around here when the Phillies and Mets are good at the same time. Alas, it doesn’t happen often. I asked a scout to weigh in on a few storylines that might shape the next iteration of the Phillies-Mets saga.

Teams need 85% of their traveling party to be vaccinated before loosening their COVID-19 restrictions. Neris, who doesn’t want the shot yet, offered a glimpse into the complications teams might face to meet that threshold.

As the Phillies opened minor-league camp last weekend in Clearwater, Fla., farm director Josh Bonifay discussed some of the challenges after a year without games.

The city is allowing more fans to attend games at Citizens Bank Park, bumping up capacity from 20% to 25%, as Rob Tornoe details.

Tonight: Chase Anderson’s Phillies debut vs. Mets’ Marcus Stroman, 7:05 p.m.

Tomorrow: Aaron Nola starts midweek matinee vs. Mets, 4:05 p.m.

Thursday: Off-day for Phillies.

Friday: Phillies open a three-game series in Atlanta, 7:20 p.m.

Since the beginning of last season, it’s fair to say that no hitter in baseball has been better than Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm with runners in scoring position.

Bohm led the majors with a .435 average in that situation entering play Monday. His .491 on-base percentage ranked fifth best, trailing Juan Soto (.585), Freddie Freeman (.575), Bryce Harper (.500), and Chris Taylor (.500). And when Bohm gets a hit with a runner in scoring position, the Phillies have a 14-4 record.

“I try to make it the same as it would be in the first inning,” Bohm said. “It’s the same game, same concept. It’s just later in the game. It’s just not trying to do too much, because I know every time I try to hit a home run, it doesn’t work out too well. For me, it’s just staying within myself.”

Send questions by email or on Twitter @ScottLauber.

Question: Seems to me, except when J.T. [Realmuto] has a day off, the Phillies have no right-handed sock off the bench. Do you feel this is an issue to be addressed at some point, and how to do it? Thanks. — Tony G., via email

Answer: Hey, Tony. Thanks for the question and for reading.

You’re correct about the composition of the bench. In a perfect world, the Phillies would have another right-handed bat to counterbalance lefty-hitting Brad Miller and Matt Joyce. You saw Girardi use Realmuto off the bench Sunday against a lefty. That’s not something he likes to do with his second catcher.

What to do about it? I’m sure the Phillies will keep looking to acquire a right-handed bat. They also hope Scott Kingery can figure out his swing at the alternate site. Let’s not forget that he was supposed to be a big part of this roster, either in center field or a utility role.