Down goes the Manship: Philadelphia Phillies lose to New York Mets 5-4 in 14 innings

May 31, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jeff Manship (52) throw pitch in the eleventh inning against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. The Mets won 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

A day after Reid Brignac was an unlikely hero for the Philadelphia Phillies, they almost found another in reliever Jeff Manship. Playing their second straight extra inning game, the Phillies were forced to use Manship for four innings of relief. And when he came to the plate in the 13th, he was almost able to beat out an infield single that would have won the game.

But it was not to be. Manship injured his quadriceps while running to first. Not only did he not win the game, but he may end up on the disabled list.

The sad thing is that it didn’t even have to come to that, as the Phillies had plenty of opportunities to win the game before then. After Dom Brown’s ninth inning RBI single tied the game at four, the Phillies continued to get runners on base, but couldn’t get any of them home.

The Mets finally broke through in the 14th inning against Antonio Bastardo. In a truly shocking development, Bastardo walked the leadoff man who eventually scored. In Bastardo’s defense, he was pitching for the fourth consecutive day. On the other hand, STOP WALKING BATTERS!

Even after surrendering the lead, the Phillies had a prime opportunity in the bottom of the inning. But after the first two batters reached base, Ben Revere, Jimmy Rollins, and Chase Utley were all retired.

The series will continue today, and after two consecutive 14-inning games, both teams are probably almost more concerned with the game ending in regulation than securing a victory.