J.T. Realmuto batted in a Cardinals helmet as American League tops National League in All Star Game

The National League had already scored twice in the eighth inning of Tuesday night’s All Star Game when J.T. Realmuto stood on-deck and waited for a chance to keep the rally going.

But the Phillies catcher was wearing a navy Milwaukee Brewers helmet as he watched Mike Moustakas pop out in a 4-3 loss to the American League. Moustakas ended the NL’s rally, but saved Realmuto from batting in a Brewers helmet.

Realmuto realized in the first inning that he did not have his red Phillies helmet. The clubhouse attendants searched his bag. It wasn’t there. The rest of his equipment arrived earlier this week, but not his helmet.

So he borrowed Paul DeJong’s red Cardinals helmet in the seventh inning, ripped off the Cardinals decal, and replaced it the Phillies 'P' from his catching helmet. Realmuto popped up. But in the eighth, DeJong was on base and the only available helmet for a right-handed hitter belonged to Brewers catcher Yasmani Grandal.

“It was huge,” Realmuto said. “It would’ve fallen off if I would’ve had to use it. Pretty funny situation. There was a point where I thought about going up there in my catcher’s helmet but there’s no protection there.”

Realmuto returned to the dugout after the eighth-inning rally fizzled and wore DeJong’s red helmet again in the ninth when he led off with a strikeout against Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman.

Gabe Kapler had asked National League manager Dave Roberts if he could stay away from using Realmuto behind the plate. Realmuto’s 76 starts led all catchers in the first half. Roberts, the Dodgers manager, obliged and used Realmuto as the designated hitter for the final three innings.

“Getting two at-bats isn’t too tiring,” Realmuto said. “I feel like it could kind of revive me for the second half.”

A batter before Moustaka’s pop-out, Pete Alonso singled in two runs with a sharp grounder. A night after winning the Home Run Derby, the Mets rookie came through again. But that was as close as the NL would get. Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the ninth -- including Realmuto -- to give the AL pitchers 16 strikeouts, and received an extra boost before the final out when the retiring CC Sabathia made a mound visit. The Yankees pitcher who broke in with Cleveland was not an All-Star, but he was invited to join the AL in the dugout.

The All Star Game lacked the offensive firepower that defined the first-half of the season as the teams combined for just 13 hits and two homers.

Indians starter Shane Bieber won the MVP after striking out the three batters he faced in the fifth and leaving to a standing ovation. Before the game, there was a moment of silence for Tyler Skaggs, the Los Angeles Angels pitcher who died on July 1. Each player wore a No. 45 patch on the front of their jerseys, and Mike Trout honored his fallen teammate by switching his No. 27 to Skaggs’ 45 for the All-Star Game.

Rangers slugger Joey Gallo homered in the seventh, Houston’s Michael Brantly doubled in a run in the first, and Jorge Polanco had an RBI single in the fifth. Charlie Blackmon of the Rockies homered for the NL in the sixth.

Realmuto packed his belongings - everything except his batting helmet - into a bag that would be shipped back to Philadelphia. He will return Friday to Citizens Bank Park as the Phillies try to turn the tide of the difficult month they rode into the All Star break. In just 26 days, the Phillies went from a first-place team with a 3 1/2-game lead to a third-place team with a 6 1/2-game deficit in just 26 days.

“We have a lot of work to do and we’ve got to get better on the mound, there’s no doubt about that,” Realmuto said. “Not just starting pitching. We’ve got to do better in the bullpen, we’ve got to do better in the lineup. Just as a whole, we’ve got to do better.”

Despite their recent struggles, the Phillies still hold the second wild card by a half-game. They trail Atlanta by 6 1/2 games in the National League East. The first seven games -- three against Washington and four against the MLB-leading Los Angeles Dodgers -- will set the tone for the rest of the season.

“Especially the three against Washington. Those are really important,” Realmuto said. “We’re neck and neck with them for second place. We definitely need to create some distance and also gain some ground with Atlanta, so that’s a big series for us. The Dodgers coming in after what they did to us in LA [a three-game sweep], obviously that will be an important series just to see how we match up with the best in the National League right now.”

The next seven games could also serve as a barometer for the front office as it approaches the July 31 trade deadline. The Phillies plan to be aggressive this month as they look to upgrade their bench and add at least one starting pitcher. How the team performs against the Nationals and Dodgers, however, could determine what type of reinforcements are added.

A stumble out of the break could be enough to put the Phillies more than 10 games out of first place. The Phillies would then be less interested in paying a hefty price for outside help. But a strong start could thrust them into a playoff race and embolden general manager Matt Klentak to add a quality piece.

“I would be shocked if our front office didn’t believe we could make a run,” Realmuto said. “I feel like with the team we have in the clubhouse and the guys we have in there, if our front office doesn’t believe in us ... I feel like the team they put together is pretty good with what we have right now, even with the injuries and not performing as well as we should. I’m pretty sure they have confidence in us to go out and make a move and make us better.”

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