Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Tyler Phillips is enjoying a storybook start to his career.
The native of south New Jersey and longtime Phillies fan has won three of his first four appearances for Philadelphia, getting better with each game and going the distance to shut out the visiting Cleveland Guardians on Saturday.
Next, Phillips (3-0, 1.80 ERA) is slated to take the mound for the opener of a three-game interleague series Friday night at Seattle. Right-hander Bryan Woo (4-1, 2.35) is scheduled to start for the Mariners. Both pitchers will be facing the opposition for the first time.
Phillips received a standing ovation from Phillies fans when he came back out for the ninth inning with an 8-0 lead against the Guardians.
“My body has never felt that before,” Phillips said of the crowd reaction. “You get chills. You’re trying not to laugh. You want to tear up. You’re choked up. I don’t know what was going on. But I felt like I was able to throw 100 mph at that point. All I wanted to do was sit those guys back down on the bench.”
Phillips struck out the first two batters before getting a groundout to finish his third major league start and fourth appearance.
“Just the composure and the poise,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said of what impressed him about Phillips. “You’re a rookie and going into the ninth inning with a chance to throw a complete-game shutout. That’s nerve-wracking for some, but he was as calm as he could be.”
Added outfielder Kyle Schwarber, who hit one of the Phillies’ four homers in that game: “It’s totally cool … hearing the story about how he got to this position, and obviously a fan of the team. He goes out there, complete-game shutout, filling up the zone left and right. He doesn’t let the moment bother him.”
The National League East-leading Phillies could use some more of that. They have lost four games in a row and are just 3-9 since the All-Star break. Their 10-game lead on July 5 has been cut to six games over the Atlanta Braves, who defeated the Miami Marlins on Thursday.
“You don’t want to play the game this way,” Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper said. “I mean, we’re a damned good team. It’s not that hard. It’s baseball. It’s kind of the way the game works. … We’ve just got to keep going.”
The Mariners can relate. Their 10-game lead in the American League West on June 18 is totally gone, and they begin August effectively tied with the Houston Astros atop the division.
The Mariners lost 3-2 in 10 innings Wednesday in Boston to complete a 4-2 road trip.
“We had a lot of opportunities to bust it open,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “In a game like this, you’re just, like, one big hit away from getting on the good side of this thing, but not for lack of effort. But, I like the way we’re playing. The at-bats are better. We just didn’t come through with runners in scoring position today.”
The Mariners are dealing with some injury issues.
In addition to Julio Rodriguez (high right ankle sprain) and shortstop J.P. Crawford (broken right pinkie) being on the injured list, outfielder Victor Robles didn’t play Wednesday because of soreness in his hip flexor area, second baseman Jorge Polanco was lifted in the eighth inning with recurring knee soreness, and reliever Gregory Santos also left in the eighth with soreness in his right biceps.
–Field Level Media
