Phillies look ahead to Dodgers after No. 5 starter Alan Rangel struggles in series loss to Mets
Rangel gave up five runs before the third inning in the latest dud from a No. 5 starter. The Phillies also managed six hits to drop their first series after the All-Star break.
Bring on the Dodgers.
No, really, bring ’em on. So what if the two-time defending World Series champs are still the best team in baseball? The Phillies would sooner face them for three days than talk about what happened Sunday.
Oh, all right. A few words about that:
In the latest noncompetitive dud from a No. 5 starter (more on that later), Alan Rangel gave up five runs before some fans found their seats. The Phillies managed six hits and lost, 6-1, to the Mets to drop the first series after the All-Star break, their warts on display.
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But hey, that’s life when neither Cristopher Sánchez nor Zack Wheeler pitches in a series. That won’t be the case against the Dodgers. Sánchez is scheduled to start the opener Monday night followed by Wheeler in the second game.
So, bring on the champs, right?
“Obviously they’re a good team, one of the best,” said Alec Bohm, whose homer accounted for the offense. “I think just the opportunity is to win some games. I don’t think it’s anything crazy. It’s kind of getting down to that time of the year. We’re in the second half now. We just want to come in and take care of business.”
Say this: It’s a measuring-stick series. The Dodgers are talented and endlessly deep, with the best record in baseball — 63-36, a 103-win pace, through the opener of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium. Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch this week because of left knee pain, but he went 2-for-5 with a double and drove in two runs Sunday in Game 1 against the Yankees, so hitting won’t be a problem.
The Phillies were still ascending from a season-opening 9-19 hole when they visited Dodger Stadium the last weekend in May. They lost two of three, including Wheeler’s only defeat in 15 starts.
But they went 9-3 against the Dodgers over the last two regular seasons and lost three games by a total of four runs in the divisional round last year. Dodgers officials didn’t want to face the Phillies and were mostly relieved to survive the series.
They could be headed for an October rematch, in which case the Dodgers’ uneasy feeling won’t likely subside if Sánchez, Wheeler, and Jesús Luzardo are lined up to pitch.
To get there, though, the Phillies need more from the back of the rotation. They are 41-14 when Sánchez, Wheeler, or Luzardo start; in starts made by anyone else, they are 14-31, including 10 consecutive losses from the No. 5 spot.
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“Obviously,” interim manager Don Mattingly said, “you don’t want to have a day that we never win.”
The Phillies haven’t won with a No. 5 starter since May 18. Since then, Andrew Painter got demoted to triple A, where the results have been mixed. Rotation depth is an organizational weakness. Rangel is the best (only?) option — and has a 5.75 ERA since replacing Painter.
Rangel’s next start would be Saturday at home against the Yankees. Will he make it?
“It’s something to talk about,” Mattingly said. “Now is not a great time to talk about that when you’re 10 minutes after the game. But I’m sure it’s something that everybody’s looking at.”
With a day off Thursday, the Phillies could skip the No. 5 spot and have Sánchez, Wheeler, and Aaron Nola start on regular (four days’) rest. In that case, they would need a fifth starter only once before the Aug. 3 trade deadline — and not until July 28 in Miami.
Before sending Rangel to the mound against the Mets, Mattingly wondered how the 28-year-old righty would fare after facing them three weeks earlier in New York.
It’s safe to say the advantage went to the Mets.
“My mind wasn’t there,” Rangel said through a team interpreter. “I wasn’t thinking about that. I wasn’t worried about that. I was just trying to make my pitches and just try to do that.”
Rangel said he sensed some hitters seemed to change their approach “maybe a little.” He relies heavily on his changeup and deceptive over-the-top delivery to get soft contact. This time, the Mets fouled off a lot of pitches against him.
“I think more than anything he just wasn’t able to put guys away,” Mattingly said. “Second time they’ve seen him. Everybody’s making adjustments.”
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To wit: Bo Bichette fouled off six consecutive pitches and worked an 11-pitch walk with two out in the first inning. Rangel then left a fastball over the plate to Francisco Lindor for a two-run homer into the second deck in right field.
It got worse for Rangel in the second inning. Brett Baty led off with a single before Luis Torrens lined an RBI double. Juan Soto walked and Bichette singled to load the bases for Lindor, who stroked an RBI single. Carson Benge lifted a sacrifice fly to make it 5-0.
How’s that for deflating in the rubber game of a series?
“Well, it can be,” Mattingly said. “You know, getting down five early. With that, the guy on the mound today [Mets ace Nolan McLean], he was good. It puts you in a tough spot. ... It feels like kind of all day you’re kind of out of it.”
The Phillies won’t face the Mets again until September. Before that, New York is expected to be an active seller at the trade deadline, with several pitchers who could help the Phillies, perhaps none more than right-hander Clay Holmes.
A closer-turned-starter, Holmes is rehabbing from a right leg fracture. If he shows he’s healthy in upcoming minor-league starts, he would fit the Phillies as a No. 5 starter down the stretch who could easily transition to a late-inning relief role in the postseason.
In the meantime, here come Ohtani and the Dodgers.
At least the Phillies will have Sánchez and Wheeler waiting for them.
Phillies owner John Middleton spent months planning to host the city’s first All-Star Game in 30 years. Now that it’s over, he joined Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast, to recap his most memorable moments from the week. He also discussed the upcoming trade deadline and Field of Dreams Game in Iowa, and the future of the top of the Phillies organizational masthead. Watch here. Watch here.
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