Phillies’ three-run eighth inning moves them closer to a playoff berth with 6-4 win over the Brewers
Bryson Stott delivered the big hit, an RBI double that ended up scoring two on an error and Brandon Marsh tacked on an RBI double to break the tie with two out in the eighth.
Down to the last week of the regular season, the Phillies haven’t clinched a wild card yet. Until they do, they will insist every game is akin to the postseason, in terms of both significance and urgency.
And Don Mattingly is managing accordingly.
In case you’re wondering, then, how Mattingly will run a game next week — and beyond, if the Phillies move on — consider the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings Tuesday night in a 6-4 victory over the majors-leading Brewers that pushed them to the verge of a sudsy celebration.
» READ MORE: Dave Dombrowski: ‘Better to wait until our season is complete’ before deciding on Don Mattingly’s future
First, a few particulars:
The Phillies broke a tie (after Zack Wheeler couldn’t hold a three-run lead on a night when he became the 96th pitch to record 2,000 career strikeouts) by scoring three runs with two out in the eighth inning. Bryson Stott delivered the big hit, an RBI double, and the Brewers kicked around the ball to allow another run to score.
Brandon Marsh, who homered for the first time since Aug. 13 earlier in the game, tacked on an RBI double.
The Phillies lowered their magic number to clinch a wild card to two. If the Diamondbacks lose in Colorado, it will be one. Either way, the Phillies can spray champagne as soon as Wednesday night.
OK, back to Mattingly, who offered a few hints about how he will manage his pitchers in the playoffs.
Clutching a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning, with Wheeler’s pitch count rising, Mattingly pushed the ace starter. Even as lefty Tim Mayza got loose in the bullpen and Wheeler gave up a one-out walk and a two-out single, Mattingly stuck with him against dangerous William Contreras with the tying run in scoring position.
Wheeler’s first pitch — his 96th of the game — was a low-and-inside sinker. Contreras hit it off his shoe tops and into left field for a two-run single to tie the game.
It wasn’t until lefty-hitting Jake Bauers singled that Mattingly went to Mayza, who extinguished the inning on a first-pitch groundout. Mattingly likes Mayza to “kill” a rally, but it’s clear he will ride his starters — Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez, in particular — longer than most managers typically do in October.
» READ MORE: The Zack Wheeler conversation: Why he expected to thrive after surgery, and how much longer he wants to play
After the Phillies fumbled the lead, Mattingly turned to rookie righty Alex McFarlane in the seventh inning. And instead of shaking his hand after a scoreless 15-pitch frame, Mattingly sent McFarlane back out for more.
In total, McFarlane recorded five outs — on 21 pitches — and kept the game tied.
It’s a lot of responsibility to place on the right shoulder of a 25-year-old who was pitching in double A at the All-Star break. But what choice does Mattingly have?
Setup reliever Brad Keller was lost to season-ending elbow surgery in July. The Phillies didn’t make meaningful additions to the bullpen at the trade deadline. And Keller’s replacement, Jonathan Bowlan, is trying to make it back from a right groin strain that would’ve landed him on the injured list if the playoffs weren’t starting next week.
It was McFarlane, then, who got the ball to lefty José Alvarado against lefty-hitting Brice Turang for the final out of the eighth inning.
And after the Phillies retook the lead, closer Jhoan Duran secured the save despite allowing a run in the ninth inning.
Wheeler struck out the first seven batters, surpassing by one Brandon Duckworth’s 24-year-old club record for whiffs to begin a game. Wheeler didn’t give up a hit until Garrett Mitchell’s leadoff single in the fourth inning.
Matt Klentak's fingerprints are still on the Phillies' roster six years after he was the team's general manager. These days, Klentak is part of the front office for the Brewers, who recently clinched their fourth consecutive NL Central title. With the Brewers coming to town Tuesday, Klentak joined Phillies Extra to discuss his current and former teams. Watch here.
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