Phillies rally past Mets as Maikel Franco homers again
The third baseman’s recent performances should earn him back a starting spot in the near future.
Maikel Franco neared second base on Tuesday night and pointed toward his teammates who cheered from the bullpen as the electronic Liberty Bell flashed vibrant colors over Citizens Bank Park.
For Franco, his go-ahead homer Tuesday night in a 7-5 win over the Mets may have felt like a dream. It cleared one of the ballpark’s farthest walls, triggered a five-run sixth inning, and gave the team an unlikely second straight win.
Franco’s season had turned so sour that, this month, he played himself into a seldom-used afterthought. A starter on opening day, Franco had become Gabe Kapler’s fourth option at third base, playing behind two veterans who were not on the 40-man roster this season.
His time in Philadelphia felt limited before Kapler inserted the struggling third baseman into the lineup on Monday night. He homered and played well defensively. The Phillies, Kapler said after that win, were a better team when Franco was producing.
So the manager tried it again Tuesday, started Franco on consecutive days for the first time in two weeks, but offered no guarantee past Tuesday night. Kapler wanted Franco to earn his job back. That’s why his home run felt like a dream.
The Phillies are a better team with a productive Franco at third base. He can hit for power and make an impact with his glove. And it is nights like Tuesday — when the bell is ringing and the crowd is roaring — that allow them to dream.
“Enormous home run. An incredible emotional lift to our club,” Kapler said. “It was a huge hit in our season, quite frankly.”
The Phillies responded to a seven-game losing streak by taking the first two games of a four-game series with the Mets.
Maybe it’s the bamboo plant that Brad Miller delivered Tuesday afternoon to the clubhouse. Or maybe it’s the homer Miller hit a batter after Franco’s blast. Maybe it’s the old ‘Fightin Phils’ T-shirt Kapler dug out the last two days. Or maybe it’s the way his team battled back on consecutive nights after falling behind early. Maybe it’s the pendant the manager received from a fan, who asked Kapler to trust its religious symbolism. Or maybe it’s the third baseman, who the manager trusted for a second straight night.
“I’m just trying to come in every single day and do my job for my team. That’s what I did two straight nights,” Franco said. “I’m just coming in with the same mentality, stay positive, stay strong and when I get an opportunity to be in the lineup, I just want to go out there and do my best. That’s what I’ve been doing.”
It is far too early to say the Phillies have righted their season. They have still won just three of their last 12 games. But it is not too early to say they have showed merit at the season’s toughest turn. They overcame a subpar night from Jake Arrieta, who allowed five runs in six innings. Hector Neris earned a four-out save and could be an All Star next month in Cleveland. Kapler was ejected in the sixth inning as he was tossed for the second time in four games. The manager, like his players, is showing fight.
"We've got a lot of veterans in here that continue to reiterate to the young guys that this is just part of a long season,” Arrieta said. “That's behind us now. We won the last two nights. Not necessarily ideal victories, but two wins nonetheless. There is no reason we can't continue to roll and string together a lot of wins to kind of put that last week and a half behind."
The offense fought back by doing what it was built this winter to do: outslug their opponents. They hit four homers in consecutive nights for the first time since 2009. Scott Kingery started the Phillies with a leadoff homer and Rhys Hoskins blasted his 18th of the year in the fourth. Two innings later, the Phillies were down by three runs. More fight was needed.
Jay Bruce and Cesar Hernandez drove in runs to bring up Franco with two outs and a runner on. Four pitches later, the relief pitchers were standing in the bullpen with their hands raised. They knew it was a homer as soon as it left Franco’s bat. Having a productive Franco is a dream. For two nights, it was a reality.
“I feel like my swing and everything is good,” Franco said. “I’m seeing pitches much better now. I’m not even chasing those pitches down and away. I’m just trying to get my pitch and when I get it I’m putting good contact on it.”